Fusion proteins of Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigens and their uses

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to fusion proteins containing at least two Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigens. In particular, it relates to bi-fusion proteins which contain two individual M. tuberculosis antigens, tri-fusion proteins which contain three M. tuberculosis antigens, tetra-fusion proteins which contain four M. tuberculosis antigens, and penta-fusion proteins which contain five M. tuberculosis antigens, and methods for their use in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of tuberculosis infection.

The present application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 09/223,040 filed Dec. 30, 1998, and of co-pending application Ser. No. 09/056,556 filed Apr. 7, 1998, which is a continuation-in-part of co-pending application Ser. No. 09/025,197 filed Feb. 18, 1998, which is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 08/942,578 filed Oct. 1, 1997, now abandoned, which is a continuation-in-part of co-pending application Ser. No. 08/818,112, filed Mar. 13, 1997, each of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

1. INTRODUCTION

The present invention relates to fusion proteins containing at least two Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigens. In particular, it relates to bi-fusion proteins which contain two individual M. tuberculosis antigens, tri-fusion proteins which contain three M. tuberculosis antigens, tetra-fusion proteins which contain four M. tuberculosis antigens, and penta-fusion proteins which contain five M. tuberculosis antigens, and methods for their use in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of tuberculosis infection.

2. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Tuberculosis is a chronic infectious disease caused by infection with M. tuberculosis. It is a major disease in developing countries, as well as an increasing problem in developed areas of the world, with about 8 million new cases and 3 million deaths each year. Although the infection may be asymptomatic for a considerable period of time, the disease is most commonly manifested as an acute inflammation of the lungs, resulting in fever and a nonproductive cough. If untreated, serious complications and death typically result.

Although tuberculosis can generally be controlled using extended antibiotic therapy, such treatment is not sufficient to prevent the spread of the disease. Infected individuals may be asymptomatic, but contagious, for some time. In addition, although compliance with the treatment regimen is critical, patient behavior is difficult to monitor. Some patients do not complete the course of treatment, which can lead to ineffective treatment and the development of drug resistance.

In order to control the spread of tuberculosis, effective vaccination and accurate early diagnosis of the disease are of utmost importance. Currently, vaccination with live bacteria is the most efficient method for inducing protective immunity. The most common Mycobacterium employed for this purpose is Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG), an avirulent strain of M. bovis. However, the safety and efficacy of BCG is a source of controversy and some countries, such as the United States, do not vaccinate the general public with this agent.

Diagnosis of tuberculosis is commonly achieved using a skin test, which involves intradermal exposure to tuberculin PPD (protein-purified derivative). Antigen-specific T cell responses result in measurable induration at the injection site by 48-72 hours after injection, which indicates exposure to Mycobacterial antigens. Sensitivity and specificity have, however, been a problem with this test, and individuals vaccinated with BCG cannot be distinguished from infected individuals.

While macrophages have been shown to act as the principal effectors of M. tuberculosis immunity, T cells are the predominant inducers of such immunity. The essential role of T cells in protection against M. tuberculosis infection is illustrated by the frequent occurrence of M. tuberculosis in Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome patients, due to the depletion of CD4⁺T cells associated with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Mycobacterium-reactive CD4⁺T cells have been shown to be potent producers of gamma-interferon (IFN-γ), which, in turn, has been shown to trigger the anti-mycobacterial effects of macrophages in mice. While the role of IFN-γ in humans is less clear, studies have shown that 1,25-dihydroxy-vitamin D3, either alone or in combination with IFN-γ or tumor necrosis factor-alpha, activates human macrophages to inhibit M. tuberculosis infection. Furthermore, it is known that IFN-γ stimulates human macrophages to make 1,25-dihydroxy-vitamin D3. Similarly, interleukin-12 (IL-12) has been shown to play a role in stimulating resistance to M. tuberculosis infection. For a review of the immunology of M. tuberculosis infection, see Chan and Kaufmann, 1994, Tuberculosis: Pathogenesis, Protection and Control, Bloom (ed.), ASM Press, Washington, D.C.

Accordingly, there is a need for improved vaccines, and improved methods for diagnosis, preventing and treating tuberculosis.

3. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to fusion proteins of M. tuberculosis antigens. In particular, it relates to fusion polypeptides that contain two or more M. tuberculosis antigens, polynucleotides encoding such polypeptides, methods of using the polypeptides and polynucleotides in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of M. tuberculosis infection.

The present invention is based, in part, on the inventors' discovery that polynucleotides which contain two to five M. tuberculosis coding sequences produce recombinant fusion proteins that retain the immunogenicity and antigenicity of their individual components. The fusion proteins described herein induced both T cell and B cell responses, as measured by T cell proliferation, cytokine production, and antibody production. Furthermore, a fusion protein was used as an immunogen with adjuvants in vivo to elicit both cell-mediated and humoral immunity to M. tuberculosis. Additionally, a fusion protein was made by a fusion construct and used in a vaccine formulation with an adjuvant to afford long-term protection in animals against the development of tuberculosis. The fusion protein was a more effective immunogen than a mixture of its individual protein components.

In a specific embodiment of the invention, the isolated or purified M. tuberculosis polypeptides of the invention may be formulated as pharmaceutical compositions for administration into a subject in the prevention and/or treatment of M. tuberculosis infection. The immunogenicity of the fusion protein may be enhanced by the inclusion of an adjuvant.

In another aspect of the invention, the isolated or purified polynucleotides are used to produce recombinant fusion polypeptide antigens in vitro. Alternatively, the polynucleotides may be administered directly into a subject as DNA vaccines to cause antigen expression in the subject, and the subsequent induction of an anti-M. tuberculosis immune response.

It is also an object of the invention that the polypeptides be used in in vitro assays for detecting humoral antibodies or cell-mediated immunity against M. tuberculosis for diagnosis of infection or monitor of disease progression. Additionally, the polypeptides may be used as an in vivo diagnostic agent in the form of an intradermal skin test. Alternatively, the polypeptides may be used as immunogens to generate anti-M tuberculosis antibodies in a non-human animal. The antibodies can be used to detect the target antigens in vivo and in vitro.

4. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A-1C: The nucleotide sequence (SEQ ID NO:1) and amino acid sequence (SEQ ID NO:2) of tri-fusion protein Ra12-TbH9-Ra35 (designated Mtb32-Mtb39 fusion).

FIG. 2: The nucleotide sequence (SEQ ID NO:3) and amino acid sequence (SEQ ID NO:4) of tri-fusion protein Erd14-DPV-MTI.

FIGS. 3A-3D: The nucleotide sequence (SEQ ID NO:5) and amino acid sequence (SEQ ID NO:6) of tri-fusion protein TbRa3-38kD-Tb38-1.

FIGS. 4A-4D: The nucleotide sequence (SEQ ID NO:7) and amino acid sequence (SEQ ID NO:8) of bi-fusion protein TbH9-Tb38-1.

FIGS. 5A-5J: The nucleotide sequence (SEQ ID NO:9) and amino acid sequence (SEQ ID NO:10) of tetra-fusion protein TbRa3-38kD-Tb38-1-DPEP (designated TbF-2).

FIGS. 6A-6F: The nucleotide sequence (SEQ ID NO:11) and amino acid sequence (SEQ ID NO:12) of penta-fusion protein Erd14-DPV-MTI-MSL-MTCC2 (designated Mtb88f).

FIGS. 7A and 7B: The nucleotide sequence (SEQ ID NO:13) and amino acid sequence (SEQ ID NO:14) of tetra-fusion protein Erd14-DPV-MTI-MSL (designated Mtb46f).

FIGS. 8A-8F: The nucleotide sequence (SEQ ID NO:15) and amino acid sequences (SEQ ID NOS:16 and 17) of tetra-fusion protein DPV-MTI-MSL-MTCC2 (designated Mtb71f).

FIGS. 9A and 9B: The nucleotide sequence (SEQ ID NO:18) and amino acid sequence (SEQ ID NOS:19 and 20) of tri-fusion protein DPV-MTI-MSL (designated Mtb31f).

FIGS. 10A-10C: The nucleotide sequence (SEQ ID NO:21) and amino acid sequence (SEQ ID NO:22) of tri-fusion protein TbH9-DPV-MTI (designated Mtb61f).

FIGS. 11A and 11B: The nucleotide sequence (SEQ ID NO:23) and amino acid sequence (SEQ ID NO:24) of tri-fusion protein Erd14-DPV-MTI (designated Mtb36f).

FIGS. 12A-12C: The nucleotide sequence (SEQ ID NO:25) and amino acid sequence (SEQ ID NO:26) of bi-fusion protein TbH9-Ra35 (designated Mtb59f).

FIGS. 13A and 13B: The nucleotide sequence (SEQ ID NO:27) and amino acid sequences from three reading frames (SEQ ID NOS :28, 29-33 and 34-39, respectively) of bi-fusion protein Ra12-DPPD (designated Mtb24).

FIGS. 14A-14F: T cell proliferation responses of six PPD+ subjects when stimulated with two fusion proteins and their individual components.

FIGS. 15A-15F: IFN-γ production of six PPD+subjects when stimulated with two fusion proteins and their individual components.

FIGS. 16A-16F: T cell proliferation of mice immunized with a fusion protein or its individual components and an adjuvant.

FIG. 17: IFN-γ production of mice immunized with a fusion protein or its individual components and an adjuvant.

FIG. 18: IL-4 production of mice immunized with a fusion protein or its individual components and an adjuvant.

FIGS. 19A-19F: Serum antibody concentrations of mice immunized with a fusion protein or its individual components and an adjuvant.

FIGS. 20A-20C: Survival of guinea pigs after aerosol challenge of M. tuberculosis. Fusion protein, Mtb32-Mtb39 fusion or a mixture of Mtb32A and Mtb39A, were formulated in adjuvant SBAS1c (20A), SBAS2 (20B) or SBAS7 (20C), and used as an immunogen in guinea pigs prior to challenge with bacteria. BCG is the positive control.

FIGS. 21A and 21B: Stimulation of proliferation and IFN-γ production in TbH9-specific T cells by the fusion protein TbH9-Tb38-1.

FIGS. 22A and 22B: Stimulation of proliferation and IFN-γ production in Tb38-1-specific T cells by the fusion protein TbH9-Tb38-1.

FIGS. 23A and 23B: Stimulation of proliferation and IFN-γ production in T cells previously shown to respond to both TbH-9 and Tb38-1 antigens by the fusion protein TbH9-Tb38-1.

5. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to antigens useful for the treatment and prevention of tuberculosis, polynucleotides encoding such antigens, and methods for their use. The antigens of the present invention are fusion polypeptides of M. tuberculosis antigens and variants thereof. More specifically, the antigens of the present invention comprise at least two polypeptides of M. tuberculosis that are fused into a larger fusion polypeptide molecule. The antigens of the present invention may further comprise other components designed to enhance the immunogenicity of the antigens or to improve these antigens in other aspects, for example, the isolation of these antigens through addition of a stretch of histidine residues at one end of the antigen.

5.1. M. Tuberculosis Specific Antigens

The antigens of the present invention are exemplified in FIG. 1A through 13B, including homologues and variants of those antigens. These antigens may be modified, for example, by adding linker peptide sequences as described below. These linker peptides may be inserted between one or more polypeptides which make up each of the fusion proteins presented in FIGS. 1A through 13B. Other antigens of the present invention are antigens described in FIGS. 1A through 13B which have been linked to a known antigen of M. tuberculosis, such as the previously described 38 kD (SEQ ID NO:40) antigen (Andersen and Hansen,1989, Infect. Immun. 57:2481-2488; Genbank Accession No. M30046).

5.2. Immunogenicity Assays

Antigens described herein, and immunogenic portions thereof, have the ability to induce an immunogenic response. More specifically, the antigens have the ability to induce proliferation and/or cytokine production (i.e., interferon-γ and/or interleukin-12 production) in T cells, NK cells, B cells and/or macrophages derived from an M. tuberculosis-immune individual. The selection of cell type for use in evaluating an immunogenic response to a antigen will depend on the desired response. For example, interleukin-12 production is most readily evaluated using preparations containing B cells and/or macrophages. An M. tuberculosis-immune individual is one who is considered to be resistant to the development of tuberculosis by virtue of having mounted an effective T cell response to M. tuberculosis (i.e., substantially free of disease symptoms). Such individuals may be identified based on a strongly positive (i.e., greater than about 10 mm diameter induration) intradermal skin test response to tuberculosis proteins (PPD) and an absence of any signs or symptoms of tuberculosis disease. T cells, NK cells, B cells and macrophages derived from M. tuberculosis-immune individuals may be prepared using methods known to those of ordinary skill in the art. For example, a preparation of PBMCs (i.e., peripheral blood mononuclear cells) may be employed without further separation of component cells. PBMCs may generally be prepared, for example, using density centrifugation through “FICOLL” (Winthrop Laboratories, N.Y.). T cells for use in the assays described herein may also be purified directly from PBMCs. Alternatively, an enriched T cell line reactive against mycobacterial proteins, or T cell clones reactive to individual mycobacterial proteins, may be employed. Such T cell clones may be generated by, for example, culturing PBMCs from M. tuberculosis-immune individuals with mycobacterial proteins for a period of 2-4 weeks. This allows expansion of only the mycobacterial protein-specific T cells, resulting in a line composed solely of such cells. These cells may then be cloned and tested with individual proteins, using methods known to those of ordinary skill in the art, to more accurately define individual T cell specificity. In general, antigens that test positive in assays for proliferation and/or cytokine production (i.e., interferon-γ and/or interleukin-12 production) performed using T cells, NK cells, B cells and/or macrophages derived from an M. tuberculosis-immune individual are considered immunogenic. Such assays may be performed, for example, using the representative procedures described below. Immunogenic portions of such antigens may be identified using similar assays, and may be present within the polypeptides described herein.

The ability of a polypeptide (e.g., an immunogenic antigen, or a portion or other variant thereof) to induce cell proliferation is evaluated by contacting the cells (e.g., T cells and/or NK cells) with the polypeptide and measuring the proliferation of the cells. In general, the amount of polypeptide that is sufficient for evaluation of about 10⁵ cells ranges from about 10 ng/mL to about 100 μg/mL and preferably is about 10 μg/mL. The incubation of polypeptide with cells is typically performed at 37° C. for about six days. Following incubation with polypeptide, the cells are assayed for a proliferative response, which may be evaluated by methods known to those of ordinary skill in the art, such as exposing cells to a pulse of radiolabeled thymidine and measuring the incorporation of label into cellular DNA. In general, a polypeptide that results in at least a three fold increase in proliferation above background (i.e., the proliferation observed for cells cultured without polypeptide) is considered to be able to induce proliferation.

The ability of a polypeptide to stimulate the production of interferon-γ and/or interleukin-12 in cells may be evaluated by contacting the cells with the polypeptide and measuring the level of interferon-γ or interleukin-12 produced by the cells. In general, the amount of polypeptide that is sufficient for the evaluation of about 10⁵ cells ranges from about 10 ng/mL to about 100 μg/mL and preferably is about 10 μg/mL. The polypeptide may be, but need not be, immobilized on a solid support, such as a bead or a biodegradable microsphere, such as those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,897,268 and 5,075,109. The incubation of polypeptide with the cells is typically performed at 37° C. for about six days. Following incubation with polypeptide, the cells are assayed for interferon-γ and/or interleukin-12 (or one or more subunits thereof), which may be evaluated by methods known to those of ordinary skill in the art, such as an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) or, in the case of IL-12 P70 subunit, a bioassay such as an assay measuring proliferation of T cells. In general, a polypeptide that results in the production of at least 50 pg of interferon-γ per mL of cultured supernatant (containing 10⁴-10⁵ T cells per mL) is considered able to stimulate the production of interferon-γ. A polypeptide that stimulates the production of at least 10 pg/mL of IL-12 P70 subunit, and/or at least 100 pg/mL of IL-12 P40 subunit, per 10⁵ macrophages or B cells (or per 3×10⁵ PBMC) is considered able to stimulate the production of IL-12.

In general, immunogenic antigens are those antigens that stimulate proliferation and/or cytokine production (i.e., interferon-γ and/or interleukin-12 production) in T cells, NK cells, B cells and/or macrophages derived from at least about 25% of M. tuberculosis-immune individuals. Among these immunogenic antigens, polypeptides having superior therapeutic properties may be distinguished based on the magnitude of the responses in the above assays and based on the percentage of individuals for which a response is observed. In addition, antigens having superior therapeutic properties will not stimulate proliferation and/or cytokine production in vitro in cells derived from more than about 25% of individuals who are not M. tuberculosis-immune, thereby eliminating responses that are not specifically due to M. tuberculosis-responsive cells. Those antigens that induce a response in a high percentage of T cell, NK cell, B cell and/or macrophage preparations from M. tuberculosis-immune individuals (with a low incidence of responses in cell preparations from other individuals) have superior therapeutic properties.

Antigens with superior therapeutic properties may also be identified based on their ability to diminish the severity of M. tuberculosis infection in experimental animals, when administered as a vaccine. Suitable vaccine preparations for use on experimental animals are described in detail below. Efficacy may be determined based on the ability of the antigen to provide at least about a 50% reduction in bacterial numbers and/or at least about a 40% decrease in mortality following experimental infection. Suitable experimental animals include mice, guinea pigs and primates.

5.3. Isolation of Coding Sequences

The present invention also relates to nucleic acid molecules that encode fusion polypeptides of M. tuberculosis. In a specific embodiment by way of example in Section 6, infra, thirteen M. tuberculosis fusion coding sequences were constructed. In accordance with the invention, any nucleotide sequence which encodes the amino acid sequence of the fusion protein can be used to generate recombinant molecules which direct the expression of the coding sequence.

In order to clone full-length coding sequences or homologous variants to generate the fusion polynucleotides, labeled DNA probes designed from any portion of the nucleotide sequences or their complements disclosed herein may be used to screen a genomic or cDNA library made from various strains of M. tuberculosis to identify the coding sequence of each individual component. Isolation of coding sequences may also be carried out by the polymerase chain reactions (PCR) using two degenerate oligonucleotide primer pools designed on the basis of the coding sequences disclosed herein.

The invention also relates to isolated or purified polynucleotides complementary to the nucleotide sequences of SEQ ID NOS:1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 18, 21, 23, 25 and 27 and polynucleotides that selectively hybridize to such complementary sequences. In a preferred embodiment, a polynucleotide which hybridizes to the sequence of SEQ ID NOS:1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 18, 21, 23, 25 and 27 or its complementary sequence under conditions of low stringency and encodes a protein that retains the immunogenicity of the fusion proteins of SEQ ID NOS:2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 19, 22, 24, 26 and 28 is provided. By way of example and not limitation, exemplary conditions of low stringency are as follows (see also Shilo and Weinberg, 1981, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 78:6789-6792): Filters containing DNA are pretreated for 6 h at 40° C. in a solution containing 35% formamide, 5×SSC, 50 mM Tris-HCl (pH 7.5), 5mM EDTA, 0.1% PVP, 0.1% Ficoll, 1% BSA, and 500 μg/ml denatured salmon sperm DNA. Hybridizations are carried out in the same solution with the following modifications: 0.02% PVP, 0.02% Ficoll, 0.2% BSA, 100 μg/mp salmon sperm DNA, 10% (wt/vol) dextran sulfate, and 5-20×10⁶ cpm ³²P-labeled probe is used. Filters are incubated in hybridization mixture for 18-20 h at 40° C., and then washed for 1.5 h at 55° C. in a solution containing 2×SSC, 25 mM Tris-HCl (pH 7.4), 5 mM EDTA, and 0.1% SDS. The wash solution is replaced with fresh solution and incubated an additional 1.5 h at 60° C. Filters are blotted dry and exposed for autoradiography. If necessary, filters are washed for a third time at 65-68° C. and re-exposed to film. Other conditions of low stringency which may be used are well known in the art (e.g., as employed for cross-species hybridizations).

In another preferred embodiment, a polynucleotide which hybridizes to the coding sequence of SEQ ID NOS:1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 18, 21, 23, 25 and 27 or its complementary sequence under conditions of high stringency and encodes a protein that retains the immunogenicity of the fusion proteins of SEQ ID NOS:2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 19, 22, 24, 26 and 28 is provided. By way of example and not limitation, exemplary conditions of high stringency are as follows: Prehybridization of filters containing DNA is carried out for 8 h to overnight at 65° C. in buffer composed of 6×SSC, 50 mM Tris-HCl (pH 7.5), 1 mM EDTA, 0.02% PVP, 0.02% Ficoll, 0.02% BSA, and 500 μg/mL denatured salmon sperm DNA. Filters are hybridized for 48 h at 65° C. in prehybridization mixture containing 100 μg/mL denatured salmon sperm DNA and 5-20×10⁶ cpm of ³²P-labeled probe. Washing of filters is done at 37° C. for 1 h in a solution containing 2×SSC, 0.01% PVP, 0.01% Ficoll, and 0.01% BSA. This is followed by a wash in 0.1×SSC at 50° C. for 45 min before autoradiography. Other conditions of high stringency which may be used are well known in the art.

In yet another preferred embodiment, a polynucleotide which hybridizes to the coding sequence of SEQ ID NOS:1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 18, 21, 23, 25 and 27 or its complementary sequence under conditions of moderate stringency and encodes a protein that retains the immunogenicity of the fusion proteins of SEQ ID NOS:2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 19, 22, 24, 26 and 28 is provided. Exemplary conditions of moderate stringency are as follows: Filters containing DNA are pretreated for 6 h at 55° C. in a solution containing 6×SSC, 5×Denhart's solution, 0.5% SDS and 100 μg/mL denatured salmon sperm DNA. Hybridizations are carried out in the same solution and 5-20×10⁶ cpm ³²P-labeled probe is used. Filters are incubated in hybridization mixture for 18-20 h at 55° C., and then washed twice for 30 minutes at 60° C. in a solution containing 1×SSC and 0.1% SDS. Filters are blotted dry and exposed for autoradiography. Other conditions of moderate stringency which may be used are well-known in the art. Washing of filters is done at 37° C. for 1 h in a solution containing 2×SSC, 0.1% SDS.

5.4. Polypeptides Encoded by the Coding Sequences

In accordance with the invention, a polynucleotide of the invention which encodes a fusion protein, fragments thereof, or functional equivalents thereof may be used to generate recombinant nucleic acid molecules that direct the expression of the fusion protein, fragments thereof, or functional equivalents thereof, in appropriate host cells. The fusion polypeptide products encoded by such polynucleotides may be altered by molecular manipulation of the coding sequence.

Due to the inherent degeneracy of the genetic code, other DNA sequences which encode substantially the same or a functionally equivalent amino acid sequence, may be used in the practice of the invention for the expression of the fusion polypeptides. Such DNA sequences include those which are capable of hybridizing to the coding sequences or their complements disclosed herein under low, moderate or high stringency conditions described in Sections 5.3, supra.

Altered nucleotide sequences which may be used in accordance with the invention include deletions, additions or substitutions of different nucleotide residues resulting in a sequence that encodes the same or a functionally equivalent gene product. The gene product itself may contain deletions, additions or substitutions of amino acid residues, which result in a silent change thus producing a functionally equivalent antigenic epitope. Such conservative amino acid substitutions may be made on the basis of similarity in polarity, charge, solubility, hydrophobicity, hydrophilicity, and/or the amphipathic nature of the residues involved. For example, negatively charged amino acids include aspartic acid and glutamic acid; positively charged amino acids include lysine, histidine and arginine; amino acids with uncharged polar head groups having similar hydrophilicity values include the following: glycine, asparagine, glutamine, serine, threonine and tyrosine; and amino acids with nonpolar head groups include alanine, valine, isoleucine, leucine, phenylalanine, proline, methionine and tryptophan.

The nucleotide sequences of the invention may be engineered in order to alter the fusion protein coding sequence for a variety of ends, including but not limited to, alterations which modify processing and expression of the gene product. For example, mutations may be introduced using techniques which are well known in the art, e.g., site-directed mutagenesis, to insert new restriction sites, to alter glycosylation patterns, phosphorylation, etc.

In an alternate embodiment of the invention, the coding sequence of a fusion protein could be synthesized in whole or in part, using chemical methods well known in the art. See, e.g., Caruthers et al., 1980, Nuc. Acids Res. Symp. Ser. 7:215-233; Crea and Horn, 180, Nuc. Acids Res. 9(10):2331; Matteucci and Caruthers, 1980, Tetrahedron Letter 21:719; and Chow and Kempe, 1981, Nuc. Acids Res. 9(12):2807-2817. Alternatively, the polypeptide itself could be produced using chemical methods to synthesize an amino acid sequence in whole or in part. For example, peptides can be synthesized by solid phase techniques, cleaved from the resin, and purified by preparative high performance liquid chromatography. (See Creighton, 1983, Proteins Structures And Molecular Principles, W. H. Freeman and Co., N. Y. pp. 50-60). The composition of the synthetic polypeptides may be confirmed by amino acid analysis or sequencing (e.g., the Edman degradation procedure; see Creighton, 1983, Proteins, Structures and Molecular Principles, W. H. Freeman and Co., N.Y., pp. 34-49).

Additionally, the coding sequence of a fusion protein can be mutated in vitro or in vivo, to create and/or destroy translation, initiation, and/or termination sequences, or to create variations in coding regions and/or form new restriction endonuclease sites or destroy preexisting ones, to facilitate further in vitro modification. Any technique for mutagenesis known in the art can be used, including but not limited to, chemical mutagenesis, in vitro site-directed mutagenesis (Hutchinson, C., et al., 1978, J. Biol. Chem 253:6551), use of TAB® linkers (Pharmacia), and the like. It is important that the manipulations do not destroy immunogenicity of the fusion polypeptides.

In addition, nonclassical amino acids or chemical amino acid analogs can be introduced as a substitution or addition into the sequence. Non-classical amino acids include, but are not limited to, the D-isomers of the common amino acids, α-amino isobutyric acid, 4-aminobutyric acid, Abu, 2-amino butyric acid, γ-Abu, ε-Ahx, 6-amino hexanoic acid, Aib, 2-amino isobutyric acid, 3-amino propionic acid, ornithine, norleucine, norvaline, hydroxyproline, sarcosine, citrulline, cysteic acid, t-butylglycine, t-butylalanine, phenylglycine, cyclohexylalanine, β-alanine, fluoro-amino acids, designer amino acids such as β-methyl amino acids, Cα-methyl amino acids, Nα-methyl amino acids, and amino acid analogs in general. Furthermore, the amino acid can be D (dextrorotary) or L (levorotary).

In a specific embodiment, the coding sequences of each antigen in the fusion protein are joined at their amino- or carboxy-terminus via a peptide bond in any order. Alternatively, a peptide linker sequence may be employed to separate the individual polypeptides that make-up a fusion polypeptide by a distance sufficient to ensure that each polypeptide folds into a secondary and tertiary structure that maximizes its antigenic effectiveness for preventing and treating tuberculosis. Such a peptide linker sequence is incorporated into the fusion protein using standard techniques well known in the art. Suitable peptide linker sequences may be chosen based on the following factors: (1) their ability to adopt a flexible extended conformation; (2) their inability to adopt a secondary structure that could interact with functional epitopes on the first and second polypeptides; and (3) the lack of hydrophobic or charged residues that might react with the polypeptide functional epitopes. Preferred peptide linker sequences contain Gly, Asn and Ser residues. Other near neutral amino acids, such as Thr and Ala may also be used in the linker sequence. Amino acid sequences which may be usefully employed as linkers include those disclosed in Maratea et al., Gene 40:39-46, 1985; Murphy et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 83:8258-8262, 1986; U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,935,233 and 4,751,180. The linker sequence may be from 1 to about 50 amino acids in length. Peptide sequences are not required when the first and second polypeptides have non-essential N-terminal amino acid regions that can be used to separate the functional domains and prevent steric interference. For example, the antigens in a fusion protein may be connected by a flexible polylinker such as Gly-Cys-Gly or Gly-Gly-Gly-Gly-Ser repeated 1 to 3 times (SEQ ID NOS:41-43 and 44-46, respectively) (Bird et al., 1988, Science 242:423-426; Chaudhary et al., 1990, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 87:1066-1070).

In one embodiment, such a protein is produced by recombinant expression of a nucleic acid encoding the protein. Such a fusion product can be made by ligating the appropriate nucleic acid sequences encoding the desired amino acid sequences to each other by methods known in the art, in the proper coding frame, and expressing the product by methods known in the art. Alternatively, such a product may be made by protein synthetic techniques, e.g., by use of a peptide synthesizer. Coding sequences for other molecules such as a cytokine or an adjuvant can be added to the fusion polynucleotide as well.

5.5. Production of Fusion Proteins

In order to produce a M. tuberculosis fusion protein of the invention, the nucleotide sequence coding for the protein, or a functional equivalent, is inserted into an appropriate expression vector, i.e., a vector which contains the necessary elements for the transcription and translation of the inserted coding sequence. The host cells or cell lines transfected or transformed with recombinant expression vectors can be used for a variety of purposes. These include, but are not limited to, large scale production of the fusion protein.

Methods which are well known to those skilled in the art can be used to construct expression vectors containing a fusion coding sequence and appropriate transcriptional/translational control signals. These methods include in vitro recombinant DNA techniques, synthetic techniques and in vivo recombination/genetic recombination. (See, e.g., the techniques described in Sambrook et al., 1989, Molecular Cloning A Laboratory Manual, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, N.Y. and Ausubel et al., 1989, Current Protocols in Molecular Biology, Greene Publishing Associates and Wiley Interscience, N.Y.). RNA capable of encoding a polypeptide may also be chemically synthesized (Gait, ed., 1984, Oligonucleoide Synthesis, IRL Press, Oxford).

5.5.1. Expression Systems

A variety of host-expression vector systems may be utilized to express a fusion protein coding sequence. These include, but are not limited to, microorganisms such as bacteria (e.g., E. coli, B. subtilis) transformed with recombinant bacteriophage DNA, plasmid DNA or cosmid DNA expression vectors containing a coding sequence; yeast (e.g., Saccharomycdes, Pichia) transformed with recombinant yeast expression vectors containing a coding sequence; insect cell systems infected with recombinant virus expression vectors (e.g., baculovirus) containing a coding sequence; plant cell systems infected with recombinant virus expression vectors (e.g., cauliflower mosaic virus, CaMV; tobacco mosaic virus, TMV) or transformed with recombinant plasmid expression vectors (e.g., Ti plasmid) containing a coding sequence; or mammalian cell systems (e.g., COS, CHO, BHK, 293, 3T3 cells). The expression elements of these systems vary in their strength and specificities.

Depending on the host/vector system utilized, any of a number of suitable transcription and translation elements, including constitutive and inducible promoters, may be used in the expression vector. For example, when cloning in bacterial systems, inducible promoters such as pL of bacteriophage λ, plac, ptrp, ptac (ptrp-lac hybrid promoter; cytomegalovirus promoter) and the like may be used; when cloning in insect cell systems, promoters such as the baculovirus polyhedron promoter may be used; when cloning in plant cell systems, promoters derived from the genome of plant cells (e.g., heat shock promoters; the promoter for the small subunit of RUBISCO; the promoter for the chlorophyll α/β binding protein) or from plant viruses (e.g., the 35S RNA promoter of CaMV; the coat protein promoter of TMV) may be used; when cloning in mammalian cell systems, promoters derived from the genome of mammalian cells (e.g., metallothionein promoter) or from mammalian viruses (e.g., the adenovirus late promoter; the vaccinia virus 7.5K promoter) may be used; when generating cell lines that contain multiple copies of a the antigen coding sequence, SV40-, BPV- and EBV-based vectors may be used with an appropriate selectable marker.

Bacterial systems are preferred for the expression of M. tuberculosis antigens. For in vivo delivery, a bacterium such as Bacillus-Calmette-Guerrin may be engineered to express a fusion polypeptide of the invention on its cell surface. A number of other bacterial expression vectors may be advantageously selected depending upon the use intended for the expressed products. For example, when large quantities of the fusion protein are to be produced for formulation of pharmaceutical compositions, vectors which direct the expression of high levels of fusion protein products that are readily purified may be desirable. Such vectors include, but are not limited to, the E. coli expression vector pUR278 (Ruther et al., 1983, EMBO J. 2:1791), in which a coding sequence may be ligated into the vector in frame with the lacZ coding region so that a hybrid protein is produced; pIN vectors (Inouye and Inouye, 1985, Nucleic Acids Res. 13:3101-3109; Van Heeke and Schuster, 1989, J. Biol. Chem. 264:5503-5509); and the like. pGEX vectors may also be used to express foreign polypeptides as fusion proteins with glutathione S-transferase (GST). In general, such fusion proteins are soluble and can be purified easily from lysed cells by adsorption to glutathione-agarose beads followed by elution in the presence of free glutathione. The pGEX vectors are designed to include thrombin or factor Xa protease cleavage sites so that the cloned fusion polypeptide of interest can be released from the GST moiety.

5.5.2. Protein Purification

Once a recombinant protein is expressed, it can be identified by assays based on the physical or functional properties of the product, including radioactive labeling of the product followed by analysis by gel electrophoresis, radioimmunoassay, ELISA, bioassays, etc.

Once the encoded protein is identified, it may be isolated and purified by standard methods including chromatography (e.g., high performance liquid chromatography, ion exchange, affinity, and sizing column chromatography), centrifugation, differential solubility, or by any other standard technique for the purification of proteins. The actual conditions used will depend, in part, on factors such as net charge, hydrophobicity, hydrophilicity, etc., and will be apparent to those having skill in the art. The functional properties may be evaluated using any suitable assay such as antibody binding, induction of T cell proliferation, stimulation of cytokine production such as IL2, IL-4 and IFN-γ. For the practice of the present invention, it is preferred that each fusion protein is at least 80% purified from other proteins. It is more preferred that they are at least 90% purified. For in vivo administration, it is preferred that the proteins are greater than 95% purified.

5.6. Uses of the Fusion Protein Coding Sequence

The fusion protein coding sequence of the invention may be used to encode a protein product for use as an immunogen to induce and/or enhance immune responses to M. tuberculosis. In addition, such coding sequence may be ligated with a coding sequence of another molecule such as cytokine or an adjuvant. Such polynucleotides may be used in vivo as a DNA vaccine (U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,589,466; 5,679,647; 5,703,055). In this embodiment of the invention, the polynucleotide expresses its encoded protein in a recipient to directly induce an immune response. The polynucleotide may be injected into a naive subject to prime an immune response to its encoded product, or administered to an infected or immunized subject to enhance the secondary immune responses.

In a preferred embodiment, a therapeutic composition comprises a fusion protein coding sequence or fragments thereof that is part of an expression vector. In particular, such a polynucleotide contains a promoter operably linked to the coding region, said promoter being inducible or constitutive, and, optionally, tissue-specific. In another embodiment, a polynucleotide contains a coding sequence flanked by regions that promote homologous recombination at a desired site in the genome, thus providing for intrachromosomal expression of the coding sequence (Koller and Smithies, 1989, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 86:8932-8935; Zijlstra et al., 1989, Nature 342:435-438).

Delivery of the nucleic acid into a subject may be either direct, in which case the subject is directly exposed to the nucleic acid or nucleic acid-carrying vector, or indirect, in which case, cells are first transformed with the nucleic acid in vitro, then transplanted into the subject. These two approaches are known, respectively, as in vivo or ex vivo gene transfer.

In a specific embodiment, the nucleic acid is directly administered in vivo, where it is expressed to produce the encoded fusion protein product. This can be accomplished by any of numerous methods known in the art, e.g., by constructing it as part of an appropriate nucleic acid expression vector and administering it so that it becomes intracellular, e.g., by infection using a defective or attenuated retroviral or other viral vector (see, U.S. Pat. No. 4,980,286), or by direct injection of naked DNA, or by use of microparticle bombardment (e.g., a gene gun; Biolistic, Dupont), or coating with lipids or cell-surface receptors or transfecting agents, encapsulation in liposomes, microparticles, or microcapsules (U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,407,609; 5,853,763; 5,814,344 and 5,820,883), or by administering it in linkage to a peptide which is known to enter the nucleus, by administering it in linkage to a ligand subject to receptor-mediated endocytosis (see, e.g., Wu and Wu, 1987, J. Biol. Chem. 262:4429-4432) which can be used to target cell types specifically expressing the receptors, etc. In another embodiment, a nucleic acid-ligand complex can be formed in which the ligand comprises a fusogenic viral peptide to disrupt endosomes, allowing the nucleic acid to avoid lysosomal degradation. In yet another embodiment, the nucleic acid can be targeted in vivo for cell specific uptake and expression, by targeting a specific receptor (see, e.g., PCT Publications WO 92/06180 dated Apr. 16, 1992; WO 92/22635 dated Dec. 23, 1992; WO92/20316 dated Nov. 26, 1992; WO93/14188 dated Jul. 22, 1993; WO 93/20221 dated Oct. 14, 1993). Alternatively, the nucleic acid can be introduced intracellularly and incorporated within host cell DNA for expression, by homologous recombination (Koller and Smithies, 1989, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 86:8932-8935; Zijlstra et al., 1989, Nature 342:435-438).

In a specific embodiment, a viral vector such as a retroviral vector can be used (see, Miller et al., 1993, Meth. Enzymol. 217:581-599). Retroviral vectors have been modified to delete retroviral sequences that are not necessary for packaging of the viral genome and integration into host cell DNA. A fusion coding sequence is cloned into the vector, which facilitates delivery of the nucleic acid into a recipient. More detail about retroviral vectors can be found in Boesen et al., 1994, Biotherapy 6:291-302, which describes the use of a retroviral vector to deliver the mdrl gene to hematopoietic stem cells in order to make the stem cells more resistant to chemotherapy. Other references illustrating the use of retroviral vectors in gene therapy are: Clowes et al., 1994, J. Clin. Invest. 93:644-651; Kiem et al., 1994, Blood 83:1467-1473; Salmons and Gunzberg, 1993, Human Gene Therapy 4:129-141; and Grossman and Wilson, 1993, Curr. Opin. in Genetics and Devel. 3:110-114.

Adenoviruses are other viral vectors that can be used in gene therapy. Adenoviruses are especially attractive vehicles for delivering genes to respiratory epithelia. Adenoviruses naturally infect respiratory epithelia where they cause a mild disease. Other targets for adenovirus-based delivery systems are liver, the central nervous system, endothelial cells, and muscle. Adenoviruses have the advantage of being capable of infecting non-dividing cells. Adeno-associated virus (AAV) has also been proposed for use in in vivo gene transfer (Walsh et al., 1993, Proc. Soc. Exp. Biol. Med. 204:289-300.

Another approach involves transferring a construct to cells in tissue culture by such methods as electroporation, lipofection, calcium phosphate mediated transfection, or viral infection. Usually, the method of transfer includes the transfer of a selectable marker to the cells. The cells are then placed under selection to isolate those cells that have taken up and are expressing the transferred gene. Those cells are then delivered to a subject.

In this embodiment, the nucleic acid is introduced into a cell prior to administration in vivo of the resulting recombinant cell. Such introduction can be carried out by any method known in the art, including but not limited to transfection, electroporation, microinjection, infection with a viral or bacteriophage vector containing the nucleic acid sequences, cell fusion, chromosome-mediated gene transfer, microcell-mediated gene transfer, spheroplast fusion, etc. Numerous techniques are known in the art for the introduction of foreign genes into cells (see e.g., Loeffler and Behr, 1993, Meth. Enzymol. 217:599-618; Cohen et al., 1993, Meth. Enzymol. 217:618-644; Cline, 1985, Pharmac. Ther. 29:69-92) and may be used in accordance with the present invention.

The polynucleotides of the invention may also be used in the diagnosis of tuberculosis for detection of polynucleotide sequences specific to M. tuberculosis in a patient. Such detection may be accomplished, for example, by isolating polynucleotides from a biological sample obtained from a patient suspected of being infected with the bacteria. Upon isolation of polynucleotides from the biological sample, a labeled polynucleotide of the invention that is complementary to one or more of the polynucleotides, will be allowed to hybridize to polynucleotides in the biological sample using techniques of nucleic acid hybridization known to those of ordinary skill in the art. For example, such hybridization may be carried out in solution or with one hybridization partner on a solid support.

5.7. Therapeutic and Prophylactic uses of the Fusion Protein

Purified or partially purified fusion proteins or fragments thereof may be formulated as a vaccine or therapeutic composition. Such composition may include adjuvants to enhance immune responses. In addition, such proteins may be further suspended in an oil emulsion to cause a slower release of the proteins in vivo upon injection. The optimal ratios of each component in the formulation may be determined by techniques well known to those skilled in the art.

Any of a variety of adjuvants may be employed in the vaccines of this invention to enhance the immune response. Most adjuvants contain a substance designed to protect the antigen from rapid catabolism, such as aluminum hydroxide or mineral oil, and a specific or nonspecific stimulator of immune responses, such as lipid A, Bortadella pertussis or Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Suitable adjuvants are commercially available and include, for example, Freund's Incomplete Adjuvant and Freund's Complete Adjuvant (Difco Laboratories) and Merck Adjuvant 65 (Merck and Company, Inc., Rahway, N.J.). Other suitable adjuvants include alum, biodegradable microspheres, monophosphoryl lipid A, quil A, SBAS1c, SBAS2 (Ling et al., 1997, Vaccine 15:1562-1567), SBAS7, Al(OH)₃ and CpG oligonucleotide (WO96/02555).

In the vaccines of the present invention, it is preferred that the adjuvant induces an immune response comprising Th1 aspects. Suitable adjuvant systems include, for example, a combination of monophosphoryl lipid A, preferably 3-de-O-acylated monophosphoryl lipid A (3D-MPL) together with an aluminum salt. An enhanced system involves the combination of a monophosphoryl lipid A and a saponin derivative, particularly the combination of 3D-MLP and the saponin QS21 as disclosed in WO 94/00153, or a less reactogenic composition where the QS21 is quenched with cholesterol as disclosed in WO 96/33739. Previous experiments have demonstrated a clear synergistic effect of combinations of 3D-MLP and QS21 in the induction of both humoral and Th1 type cellular immune responses. A particularly potent adjuvant formation involving QS21, 3D-MLP and tocopherol in an oil-in-water emulsion is described in WO 95/17210 and is a preferred formulation.

Formulations containing an antigen of the present invention may be administered to a subject per se or in the form of a pharmaceutical or therapeutic composition. Pharmaceutical compositions comprising the proteins may be manufactured by means of conventional mixing, dissolving, granulating, dragee-making, levigating, emulsifying, encapsulating, entrapping or lyophilizing processes. Pharmaceutical compositions may be formulated in conventional manner using one or more physiologically acceptable carriers, diluents, excipients or auxiliaries which facilitate processing of the polypeptides into preparations which can be used pharmaceutically. Proper formulation is dependent upon the route of administration chosen.

For topical administration, the proteins may be formulated as solutions, gels, ointments, creams, suspensions, etc. as are well-known in the art.

Systemic formulations include those designed for administration by injection, e.g. subcutaneous, intravenous, intramuscular, intrathecal or intraperitoneal injection, as well as those designed for transdermal, transmucosal, oral or pulmonary administration.

For injection, the proteins may be formulated in aqueous solutions, preferably in physiologically compatible buffers such as Hanks's solution, Ringer's solution, or physiological saline buffer. The solution may contain formulatory agents such as suspending, stabilizing and/or dispersing agents. Alternatively, the proteins may be in powder form for constitution with a suitable vehicle, e.g., sterile pyrogen-free water, before use.

For transmucosal administration, penetrants appropriate to the barrier to be permeated are used in the formulation. Such penetrants are generally known in the art.

For oral administration, a composition can be readily formulated by combining the proteins with pharmaceutically acceptable carriers well known in the art. Such carriers enable the proteins to be formulated as tablets, pills, dragees, capsules, liquids, gels, syrups, slurries, suspensions and the like, for oral ingestion by a subject to be treated. For oral solid formulations such as, for example, powders, capsules and tablets, suitable excipients include fillers such as sugars, such as lactose, sucrose, mannitol and sorbitol; cellulose preparations such as maize starch, wheat starch, rice starch, potato starch, gelatin, gum tragacanth, methyl cellulose, hydroxypropylmethyl-cellulose, sodium carboxymethylcellulose, and/or polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP); granulating agents; and binding agents. If desired, disintegrating agents may be added, such as the cross-linked polyvinylpyrrolidone, agar, or alginic acid or a salt thereof such as sodium alginate.

If desired, solid dosage forms may be sugar-coated or enteric-coated using standard techniques.

For oral liquid preparations such as, for example, suspensions, elixirs and solutions, suitable carriers, excipients or diluents include water, glycols, oils, alcohols, etc. Additionally, flavoring agents, preservatives, coloring agents and the like may be added.

For buccal administration, the proteins may take the form of tablets, lozenges, etc. formulated in conventional manner.

For administration by inhalation, the proteins for use according to the present invention are conveniently delivered in the form of an aerosol spray from pressurized packs or a nebulizer, with the use of a suitable propellant, e.g., dichlorodifluoromethane, trichlorofluoromethane, dichlorotetrafluoroethane, carbon dioxide or other suitable gas. In the case of a pressurized aerosol the dosage unit may be determined by providing a valve to deliver a metered amount. Capsules and cartridges of, e.g., gelatin for use in an inhaler or insufflator may be formulated containing a powder mix of the proteins and a suitable powder base such as lactose or starch.

The proteins may also be formulated in rectal or vaginal compositions such as suppositories or retention enemas, e.g., containing conventional suppository bases such as cocoa butter or other glycerides.

In addition to the formulations described previously, the proteins may also be formulated as a depot preparation. Such long acting formulations may be administered by implantation (for example subcutaneously or intramuscularly) or by intramuscular injection. Thus, for example, the proteins may be formulated with suitable polymeric or hydrophobic materials (for example as an emulsion in an acceptable oil) or ion exchange resins, or as sparingly soluble derivatives, for example, as a sparingly soluble salt.

Alternatively, other pharmaceutical delivery systems may be employed. Liposomes and emulsions are well known examples of delivery vehicles that may be used to deliver an antigen. Certain organic solvents such as dimethylsulfoxide also may be employed, although usually at the cost of greater toxicity. The fusion proteins may also be encapsulated in microspheres (U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,407,609; 5,853,763; 5,814,344 and 5,820,883). Additionally, the proteins may be delivered using a sustained-release system, such as semipermeable matrices of solid polymers containing the therapeutic or vaccinating agent. Various sustained-release materials have been established and are well known by those skilled in the art. Sustained-release capsules may, depending on their chemical nature, release the proteins for a few weeks up to over 100 days. Depending on the chemical nature and the biological stability of the reagent, additional strategies for protein stabilization may be employed.

Determination of an effective amount of the fusion protein for inducing an immune response in a subject is well within the capabilities of those skilled in the art, especially in light of the detailed disclosure provided herein.

An effective dose can be estimated initially from in vitro assays. For example, a dose can be formulated in animal models to achieve an induction of an immune response using techniques that are well known in the art. One having ordinary skill in the art could readily optimize administration to humans based on animal data. Dosage amount and interval may be adjusted individually. For example, when used as a vaccine, the polypeptides and/or polynucleotides of the invention may be administered in about 1 to 3 doses for a 1-36 week period. Preferably, 3 doses are administered, at intervals of about 3-4 months, and booster vaccinations may be given periodically thereafter. Alternate protocols may be appropriate for individual patients. A suitable dose is an amount of polypeptide or DNA that, when administered as described above, is capable of raising an immune response in an immunized patient sufficient to protect the patient from M. tuberculosis infection for at least 1-2 years. In general, the amount of polypeptide present in a dose (or produced in situ by the DNA in a dose) ranges from about 1 pg to about 100 mg per kg of host, typically from about 10 pg to about 1 mg, and preferably from about 100 pg to about 1 μg. Suitable dose range will vary with the size of the patient, but will typically range from about 0.1 mL to about 5 mL.

5.8 Diagnostic uses of the Fusion Protein

The fusion polypeptides of the invention are useful in the diagnosis of tuberculosis infection in vitro and in vivo. The ability of a polypeptide of the invention to induce cell proliferation or cytokine production can be assayed by the methods disclosed in Section 5.2, supra.

In another aspect, this invention provides methods for using one or more of the fusion polypeptides to diagnose tuberculosis using a skin test in vivo. As used herein, a skin test is any assay performed directly on a patient in which a delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) reaction (such as swelling, reddening or dermatitis) is measured following intradermal injection of one or more polypeptides as described above. Such injection may be achieved using any suitable device sufficient to contact the polypeptide with dermal cells of the patient, such as, for example, a tuberculin syringe or 1 mL syringe. Preferably, the reaction is measured at least about 48 hours after injection, more preferably about 48 to about 72 hours after injection.

The DTH reaction is a cell-mediated immune response, which is greater in patients that have been exposed previously to the test antigen (i.e., the immunogenic portion of the polypeptide employed, or a variant thereof). The response may be measured visually, using a ruler. In general, a response that is greater than about 0.5 cm in diameter, preferably greater than about 1.0 cm in diameter, is a positive response, indicative of tuberculosis infection, which may or may not be manifested as an active disease.

The fusion polypeptides of this invention are preferably formulated, for use in a skin test, as pharmaceutical compositions containing a polypeptide and a physiologically acceptable carrier. Such compositions typically contain one or more of the above polypeptides in an amount ranging from about 1 μg to about 100 μg, preferably from about 10 μg to about 50 μg in a volume of 0.1 mL. Preferably, the carrier employed in such pharmaceutical compositions is a saline solution with appropriate preservatives, such as phenol and/or Tween 80™.

In another aspect, the present invention provides methods for using the polypeptides to diagnose tuberculosis. In this aspect, methods are provided for detecting M. tuberculosis infection in a biological sample using the fusion polypeptides alone or in combination. As used herein, a “biological sample” is any antibody-containing sample obtained from a patient. Preferably, the sample is whole blood, sputum, serum, plasma, saliva cerebrospinal fluid or urine. More preferably, the sample is a blood, serum or plasma sample obtained from a patient or a blood supply. The polypeptide(s) are used in an assay, as described below, to determine the presence or absence of antibodies to the polypeptide(s) in the sample relative to a predetermined cut-off value. The presence of such antibodies indicates previous sensitization to mycobacterial antigens which may be indicative of tuberculosis.

In embodiments in which more than one fusion polypeptide is employed, the polypeptides used are preferably complementary (i.e., one component polypeptide will tend to detect infection in samples where the infection would not be detected by another component polypeptide). Complementary polypeptides may generally be identified by using each polypeptide individually to evaluate serum samples obtained from a series of patients known to be infected with M. tuberculosis. After determining which samples test positive (as described below) with each polypeptide, combinations of two or more fusion polypeptides may be formulated that are capable of detecting infection in most, or all, of the samples tested. Such polypeptides are complementary. Approximately 25-30% of sera from tuberculosis-infected individuals are negative for antibodies to any single protein. Complementary polypeptides may, therefore, be used in combination to improve sensitivity of a diagnostic test.

There are a variety of assay formats known to those of ordinary skill in the art for using one or more polypeptides to detect antibodies in a sample. See, e.g., Harlow and Lane, Antibodies: A Laboratory Manual, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, 1988, which is incorporated herein by reference. In a preferred embodiment, the assay involves the use of polypeptide immobilized on a solid support to bind to and remove the antibody from the sample. The bound antibody may then be detected using a detection reagent that contains a reporter group. Suitable detection reagents include antibodies that bind to the antibody/polypeptide complex and free polypeptide labeled with a reporter group (e.g., in a semi-competitive assay). Alternatively, a competitive assay may be utilized, in which an antibody that binds to the polypeptide is labeled with a reporter group and allowed to bind to the immobilized antigen after incubation of the antigen with the sample. The extent to which components of the sample inhibit the binding of the labeled antibody to the polypeptide is indicative of the reactivity of the sample with the immobilized polypeptide.

The solid support may be any solid material known to those of ordinary skill in the art to which the antigen may be attached. For example, the solid support may be a test well in a microtiter plate or a nitrocellulose or other suitable membrane. Alternatively, the support may be a bead or disc, such as glass, fiberglass, latex or a plastic material such as polystyrene or polyvinylchloride. The support may also be a magnetic particle or a fiber optic sensor, such as those disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,359,681.

The polypeptides may be bound to the solid support using a variety of techniques known to those of ordinary skill in the art. In the context of the present invention, the term “bound” refers to both noncovalent association, such as adsorption, and covalent attachment (which may be a direct linkage between the antigen and functional groups on the support or may be a linkage by way of a cross-linking agent). Binding by adsorption to a well in a microtiter plate or to a membrane is preferred. In such cases, adsorption may be achieved by contacting the polypeptide, in a suitable buffer, with the solid support for a suitable amount of time. The contact time varies with temperature, but is typically between about 1 hour and 1 day. In general, contacting a well of a plastic microtiter plate (such as polystyrene or polyvinylchloride) with an amount of polypeptide ranging from about 10 ng to about 1 μg, and preferably about 100 ng, is sufficient to bind an adequate amount of antigen.

Covalent attachment of polypeptide to a solid support may generally be achieved by first reacting the support with a bifunctional reagent that will react with both the support and a functional group, such as a hydroxyl or amino group, on the polypeptide. For example, the polypeptide may be bound to supports having an appropriate polymer coating using benzoquinone or by condensation of an aldehyde group on the support with an amine and an active hydrogen on the polypeptide (see, e.g., Pierce Immunotechnology Catalog and Handbook. 1991, at A12-A13).

In certain embodiments, the assay is an enzyme linked immunosorbent 1 assay (ELISA). This assay may be performed by first contacting a fusion polypeptide antigen that has been immobilized on a solid support, commonly the well of a microtiter plate, with the sample, such that antibodies to the polypeptide within the sample are allowed to bind to the immobilized polypeptide. Unbound sample is then removed from the immobilized polypeptide and a detection reagent capable of binding to the immobilized antibody-polypeptide complex is added. The amount of detection reagent that remains bound to the solid support is then determined using a method appropriate for the specific detection reagent.

More specifically, once the polypeptide is immobilized on the support as described above, the remaining protein binding sites on the support are typically blocked. Any suitable blocking agent known to those of ordinary skill in the art, such as bovine serum albumin or Tween 20™ (Sigma Chemical Co., St. Louis, Mo.) may be employed. The immobilized polypeptide is then incubated with the sample, and antibody is allowed to bind to the antigen. The sample may be diluted with a suitable diluent, such as phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) prior to incubation. In general, an appropriate contact time is that period of time that is sufficient to detect the presence of antibody within a M. tuberculosis-infected sample. Preferably, the contact time is sufficient to achieve a level of binding that is at least 95% of that achieved at equilibrium between bound and unbound antibody. Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the time necessary to achieve equilibrium may be readily determined by assaying the level of binding that occurs over a period of time. At room temperature, an incubation time of about 30 minutes is generally sufficient.

Unbound sample may then be removed by washing the solid support with an appropriate buffer, such as PBS containing 0.1% Tween 20™. Detection reagent may then be added to the solid support. An appropriate detection reagent is any compound that binds to the immobilized antibody-polypeptide complex and that can be detected by any of a variety of means known to those in the art. Preferably, the detection reagent contains a binding agent (for example, Protein A, Protein G, lectin or free antigen) conjugated to a reporter group. Preferred reporter groups include enzymes (such as horseradish peroxidase), substrates, cofactors, inhibitors, dyes, radionuclides, luminescent groups, fluorescent groups, biotin and colloidal particles, such as colloidal gold and selenium. The conjugation of binding agent to reporter group may be achieved using standard methods known to those of ordinary skill in the art. Common binding agents may also be purchased conjugated to a variety of reporter groups from many commercial sources (e.g., Zymed Laboratories, San Francisco, Calif., and Pierce, Rockford, Ill.).

The detection reagent is then incubated with the immobilized antibody-polypeptide complex for an amount of time sufficient to detect the bound antibody. An appropriate amount of time may generally be determined from the manufacturer's instructions or by assaying the level of binding that occurs over a period of time. Unbound detection reagent is then removed and bound detection reagent is detected using the reporter group. The method employed for detecting the reporter group depends upon the nature of the reporter group. For radioactive groups, scintillation counting or autoradiographic methods are generally appropriate. Spectroscopic methods may be used to detect dyes, luminescent groups and fluorescent groups. Biotin may be detected using avidin, coupled to a different reporter group (commonly a radioactive or fluorescent group or an enzyme). Enzyme reporter groups may generally be detected by the addition of substrate (generally for a specific period of time), followed by spectroscopic or other analysis of the reaction products.

To determine the presence or absence of anti-M. tuberculosis antibodies in the sample, the signal detected from the reporter group that remains bound to the solid support is generally compared to a signal that corresponds to a predetermined cut-off value. In one preferred embodiment, the cut-off value is the average mean signal obtained when the immobilized antigen is incubated with samples from an uninfected patient. In general, a sample generating a signal that is three standard deviations above the predetermined cut-off value is considered positive for tuberculosis. In an alternate preferred embodiment, the cut-off value is determined using a Receiver Operator Curve, according to the method of Sackett et al., 1985, Clinical Epidemiology: A Basic Science for Clinical Medicine, Little Brown and Co., pp. 106-107. Briefly, in this embodiment, the cut-off value may be determined from a plot of pairs of true positive rates (i.e., sensitivity) and false positive rates (100%-specificity) that correspond to each possible cut-off value for the diagnostic test result. The cut-off value on the plot that is the closest to the upper left-hand corner (i.e. the value that encloses the largest area) is the most accurate cut-off value, and a sample generating a signal that is higher than the cut-off value determined by this method may be considered positive. Alternatively, the cut-off value may be shifted to the left along the plot, to minimize the false positive rate, or to the right, to minimize the false negative rate. In general, a sample generating a signal that is higher than the cut-off value determined by this method is considered positive for tuberculosis.

In a related embodiment, the assay is performed in a rapid flow-through or strip test format, wherein the antigen is immobilized on a membrane, such as nitrocellulose. In the flow-through test, antibodies within the sample bind to the immobilized polypeptide as the sample passes through the membrane. A detection reagent (e.g., protein A-colloidal gold) then binds to the antibody-polypeptide complex as the solution containing the detection reagent flows through the membrane. The detection of bound detection reagent may then be performed as described above. In the strip test format, one end of the membrane to which polypeptide is bound is immersed in a solution containing the sample. The sample migrates along the membrane through a region containing detection reagent and to the area of immobilized polypeptide. Concentration of detection reagent at the polypeptide indicates the presence of anti-M. tuberculosis antibodies in the sample. Typically, the concentration of detection reagent at that site generates a pattern, such as a line, that can be read visually. The absence of such a pattern indicates a negative result. In general, the amount of polypeptide immobilized on the membrane is selected to generate a visually discernible pattern when the biological sample contains a level of antibodies that would be sufficient to generate a positive signal in an ELISA, as discussed above. Preferably, the amount of polypeptide immobilized on the membrane ranges from about 5 ng to about 1 μg, and more preferably from about 50 ng to about 500 ng. Such tests can typically be performed with a very small amount (e.g., one drop) of patient serum or blood.

The invention having been described, the following examples are offered by way of illustration and not limitation.

6. EXAMPLE Fusion Proteins of M. tuberculosis Antigens Retain Immunogenicity of the Individual Components

6.1. Material and Methods

6.1.1. Construction of Fusion Proteins

Coding sequences of M. tuberculosis antigens were modified by PCR in order to facilitate their fusion and subsequent expression of fusion protein. DNA amplification was performed using 10 μl 10×Pfu buffer, 2 μl 10 mM dNTPs, 2 μl each of the PCR primers at 10 μM concentration, 81.5 μl water, 1.5 μl Pfu DNA polymerase (Stratagene, La Jolla, Calif.) and 1 μl DNA at either 70 ng/μl (for TbRa3 antigen) or 50 ng/μl (for 38 kD and Tb38-1 antigens). For TbRa3 antigen, denaturation at 94° C. was performed for 2 min, followed by 40 cycles of 96° C. for 15 sec and 72° C. for 1 min, and lastly by 72° C. for 4 min. For 38 kD antigen, denaturation at 96° C. was performed for 2 min, followed by 40 cycles of 96° C. for 30 sec. 68° C. for 15 sec and 72° C. for 3 min, and finally by 72° C. for 4 min. For Tb38-1 antigen, denaturation at 94° C. for 2 min was followed by 10 cycles of 96° C. for 15 sec, 68° C. for 15 sec and 72° C. for 1.5 min, 30 cycles of 96° C. for 15 sec, 64° C. for 15 sec and 72° C. for 1.5, and finally by 72° C. for 4 min.

Following digestion with a restriction endonuclease to yield the desired cohesive or blunt ends, a polynucleotide specific for each fusion polypeptide was ligated into an expression plasmid. Each resulting plasmid contained the coding sequences of the individual antigens of each fusion polypeptide. The expression vectors used were pET-12b and pT7{circumflex over ( )}L2 IL 1.

Three coding sequences for antigens Ra12, TbH9 and Ra35 were ligated to encode one fusion protein (SEQ ID NOS:1 and 2) (FIGS. 1A and 2B). Another three coding sequences for antigens Erd14, DPV and MTI were ligated to encode a second fusion protein (SEQ ID NOS:3 and 4) (FIG. 2). Three coding sequences for antigens TbRa3, 38kD and Tb38-1 were ligated to encode one fusion protein (SEQ ID NOS:5 and 6) (FIGS. 3A-3D). Two coding sequences for antigens TbH9 and Tb38-1 were ligated to encode one fusion protein (SEQ ID NOS:7 and 8) (FIGS. 4A-4D). Four coding sequences for antigens TbRa3, 38kD, Tb38-1 and DPEP were ligated to encode one fusion protein (SEQ ID NOS:9 and 10) (FIGS. 5A-5J). Five coding sequences for antigens Erd14, DPV, MTI, MSL and MTCC2 were ligated to encode one fusion protein (SEQ ID NOS: 11 and 12) (FIGS. 6A and 6B). Four coding sequences for antigens Erd14, DPV, MTI and MSL were ligated to encode one fusion protein (SEQ ID NOS:13 and 14) (FIGS. 7A and 7B). Four coding sequences for antigens DPV, MTI, MSL and MTCC2 were ligated to encode one fusion protein (SEQ ID NOS:15 and 16) (FIGS. 8A and 8B). Three coding sequences for antigens DPV, MTI and MSL were ligated to encode one fusion protein (SEQ ID NOS:18 and 19) (FIGS. 9A and 9B). Three coding sequences for antigens TbH9, DPV and MTI were ligated to encode one fusion protein (SEQ ID NOS:21 and 22) (FIGS. 10A and 10B). Three coding sequences for antigens Erd14, DPV and MTI were ligated to encode one fusion protein (SEQ ID NOS:23 and 24) (FIGS. 11A and 11B). Two coding sequences for antigens TbH9 and Ra35 were ligated to encode one fusion protein (SEQ ID NOS:25 and 26) (FIGS. 12A and 12B). Two coding sequences for antigens Ra12 and DPPD were ligated to encode one fusion protein (SEQ ID NOS:27 and 28) (FIGS. 13A and 13B).

The recombinant proteins were expressed in E. coli with six histidine residues at the amino-terminal portion using the pET plasmid vector (pET-17b) and a T7 RNA polymerase expression system (Novagen, Madison, Wis.). E. coli strain BL21 (DE3) pLysE (Novagen) was used for high level expression. The recombinant (His-Tag) fusion proteins were purified from the soluble supernatant or the insoluble inclusion body of 500 ml of IPTG induced batch cultures by affinity chromatography using the one step QIAexpress Ni-NTA Agarose matrix (QIAGEN, Chatsworth, Calif.) in the presence of 8M urea. Briefly, 20 ml of an overnight saturated culture of BL21 containing the pET construct was added into 500 ml of 2×YT media containing 50 μg/ml ampicillin and 34 μg/ml chloramphenicol, grown at 37° C. with shaking. The bacterial cultures were induced with 2mM IPTG at an OD 560 of 0.3 and grown for an additional 3 h (OD=1.3 to 1.9). Cells were harvested from 500 ml batch cultures by centrifugation and resuspended in 20 ml of binding buffer (0.1 M sodium phosphate, pH 8.0; 10 mM Tris-HCl, pH 8.0) containing 2 mM PMSF and 20 μg/ml leupeptin plus one complete protease inhibitor tablet (Boehringer Mannheim) per 25 ml. E. coli was lysed by freeze-thaw followed by brief sonication, then spun at 12 k rpm for 30 min to pellet the inclusion bodies.

The inclusion bodies were washed three times in 1% CHAPS in 10 mM Tris-HCl (pH 8.0). This step greatly reduced the level of contaminating LPS. The inclusion body was finally solubilized in 20 ml of binding buffer containing 8 M urea or 8M urea was added directly into the soluble supernatant. Recombinant fusion proteins with His-Tag residues were batch bound to Ni-NTA agarose resin (5 ml resin per 500 ml inductions) by rocking at room temperature for 1 h and the complex passed over a column. The flow through was passed twice over the same column and the column washed three times with 30 ml each of wash buffer (0.1 M sodium phosphate and 10 mM Tris-HCl, pH 6.3) also containing 8 M urea. Bound protein was eluted with 30 ml of 150 mM immidazole in wash buffer and 5 ml fractions collected. Fractions containing each recombinant fusion protein were pooled, dialyzed against 10 mM TrisHCl (pH 8.0) bound one more time to the Ni-NTA matrix, eluted and dialyzed in 10 mM Tris-HCl (pH 7.8). The yield of recombinant protein varies from 25-150 mg per liter of induced bacterial culture with greater than 98% purity. Recombinant proteins were assayed for endotoxin contamination using the Limulus assay (BioWhittaker) and were shown to contain <10 E.U.Img.

6.1.2. T-cell Proliferation Assay

Purified fusion polypeptides were tested for the ability to induce T-cell proliferation in peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) preparations. The PBMCs from donors known to be PPD skin test positive and whose T-cells were shown to proliferate in response to PPD and crude soluble proteins from M. tuberculosis were cultured in RPMI 1640 supplemented with 10% pooled human serum and 50 μg/ml gentamicin. Purified polypeptides were added in duplicate at concentrations of 0.5 to 10 μg/ml. After six days of culture in 96-well round-bottom plates in a volume of 200 μl, 50 μl of medium was removed from each well for determination of IFN-γ levels, as described below in Section 6.1.3. The plates were then pulsed with 1 μCi/well of tritiated thymidine for a further 18 hours, harvested and tritium uptake determined using a gas scintillation counter. Fractions that resulted in proliferation in both replicates three fold greater than the proliferation observed in cells cultured in medium alone were considered positive.

6.1.3. Interferon-γ Assay

Spleens from mice were removed asceptically and single cell suspension prepared in complete RPMI following lysis of red blood cells. 100 μl of cells (2×10⁻⁵ cells) were plated per well in a 96-well flat bottom microtiter plate. Cultures were stimulated with the indicated recombinant proteins for 24 h and the supernatant assayed for IFN-γ.

The levels of supernatant IFN-γ was analysed by sandwich ELISA, using antibody pairs and procedures available from PharMingen. Standard curves were generated using recombinant mouse cytokines. ELISA plates (Coming) were coated with 50 μl/well (1 μg/ml, in 0.1 M bicarbonate coating buffer, pH9.6) of a cytokine capture mAb (rat anti-mouse IFN-γ (PharMingen; Cat. #18181 D)), and incubated for 4 h at room temp. Shake out plate contents and block with PBS-0.05% Tween, 1.0% BSA (200 μl/well) overnight at 4° C. and washed for 6× in PBS-0.1% Tween. Standards (mouse IFN-γ) and supernatant samples diluted in PBS-0.05% Tween, 0.1% BSA were then added for 2 hr at room temp. The plates were washed as above and then incubated for 2 hr at room temperature with 100 μl/well of a second Ab (biotin rat a mouse IFN-γ (Cat. #18112D; PharMingen) at 0.5 μg/ml diluted in PBS-0.05% Tween, 0.1% BSA. After washing, plates were incubated with 100 μl/well of streptavidin-HRP (Zymed) at a 1:2500 dilution in PBS-0.05% Tween, 0.1% BSA at room temp for 1 hr. The plates were washed one last time and developed with 100 μl/well TMB substrate (3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine, Kirkegaard and Perry, Gaithersburg, Md.) and the reaction stopped after color developed, with H₂S0₄, 50 μl/well. Absorbance (OD) were determined at 450 nm using 570 nm as a reference wavelength and the cytokine concentration evaluated using the standard curve.

6.2. Results

6.2.1. Tri-fusion Proteins Induced Immune Responses

Three coding sequences for M. tuberculosis antigens were inserted into an expression vector for the production of a fusion protein. The antigens designated Ra12, TbH9 and Ra35 were produced as one recombinant fusion protein (FIGS. 1A, 1B and 1C). Antigens Erd14, DPV and MTI were produced as a second fusion protein (FIG. 2). The two fusion proteins were affinity purified for use in in vitro and in vivo assays.

The two fusion proteins were tested for their ability to stimulate T cell responses from six PPD⁺ subjects. When T cell proliferation was measured, both fusion proteins exhibited a similar reactivity pattern as their individual components (FIGS. 14A-14F). A similar result was obtained when IFN-γ production was measured (FIGS. 15A-15F). For example, subject D160 responded to antigens TbH9 and MTI individually. Subject D160 also responded to the fusion proteins that contained these antigens (FIGS. 14B and 15B). In contrast, no T cell response from D160 was observed to other antigens individually. Another subject, D201, who did not react with antigens Erd14, DPV or MTI individually, was also unresponsive to the fusion protein containing these antigens. It should be noted that when the T cell responses to the individual components of the two fusion proteins were not particularly strong, the fusion proteins stimulated responses that were equal to or higher than that induced by the individual antigens in most cases.

The Ra12-TbH9-Ra35 tri-fusion protein was also tested as an immunogen in vivo. In these experiments, the fusion protein was injected into the footpads of mice for immunization. Each group of three mice received the protein in a different adjuvant formulation: SBAS1c, SBAS2 (Ling et al., 1997, Vaccine 15:1562-1567), SBAS7 and AL(OH)₃. After two subcutaneous immunizations at three week intervals, the animals were sacrificed one week later, and their draining lymph nodes were harvested for use as responder cells in T cell proliferation and cytokine production assays.

Regardless which adjuvant was used in the immunization, strong T cell proliferation responses were induced against TbH9 when it was used as an individual antigen (FIG. 16A). Weaker responses were induced against Ra35 and Ra12 (FIGS. 16B and 16C). When the Ra12-TbH9-Ra35 fusion protein was used as immunogen, a response similar to that against the individual components was observed.

When cytokine production was measured, adjuvants SBAS1c and SBAS2 produced similar IFN-γ (FIG. 17) and IL-4 responses (FIG. 18). However, the combination of SBAS7 and aluminum hydroxide produced the strongest IFN-γ responses and the lowest level of IL-4 production for all three antigens. With respect to the humoral antibody response in vivo, FIGS. 19A-19F shows that the fusion protein elicited both IgG₁ and IgG_(2a) antigen-specific responses when it was used with any of the three adjuvants.

Additionally, C57BL/6 mice were immunized with an expression construct containing Ra12-TbH9-Ra35 (Mtb32-Mtb39 fusion) coding sequence as DNA vaccine. The immunized animals exhibited significant protection against tuberculosis upon a subsequent aerosol challenge of live bacteria. Based on these results, a fusion construct of Mtb32-Mtb39 coding sequence was made, and its encoded product tested in a guinea pig long term protection model. In these studies, guinea pigs were immunized with a single recombinant fusion protein or a mixture of Mtb32A (Ra35) and Mtb39A (TbH9) proteins in formulations containing an adjuvant. FIGS. 20A-20C shows that guinea pigs immunized with the fusion protein in SBAS1c or SBAS2 were better protected against the development of tuberculosis upon subsequent challenge, as compared to animals immunized with the two antigens in a mixture in the same adjuvant formulation. The fusion proteins in SBAS2 formulation afforded the greatest protection in the animals. Thus, fusion proteins of various M. tuberculosis antigens may be used as more effective immunogens in vaccine formulations than a mixture of the individual components.

6.2.2. Bi-fusion Protein Induced Immune Responses

A bi-fusion fusion protein containing the TbH-9 and Tb38-1 antigens without a hinge sequence was produced by recombinant methods. The ability of the TbH9-Tb38-1 fusion protein to induce T cell proliferation and IFN-γ production was examined. PBMC from three donors were employed: one donor had been previously shown to respond to TbH9 but not to Tb38-1 (donor 131); one had been shown to respond to Tb38-1 but not to TbH9 (donor 184); and one had been shown to respond to both antigens (donor 201). The results of these studies demonstrate the functional activity of both the antigens in the fusion protein (FIGS. 21A and 21B, 22A and 22B, and 23A and 23B).

6.2.3. A Tetra-fusion Protein Reacted with Tuberculosis Patients Sera

A fusion protein containing TbRa3, 38KD antigen, Tb38-1 and DPEP was produced by recombinant methods. The reactivity of this tetra-fusion protein referred to as TbF-2 with sera from M. tuberculosis-infected patients was examined by ELISA. The results of these studies (Table 1) demonstrate that all four antigens function independently in the fusion protein.

One of skill in the art will appreciate that the order of the individual antigens within each fusion protein may be changed and that comparable activity would be expected provided that each of the epitopes is still functionally available. In addition, truncated forms of the proteins containing active epitopes may be used in the construction of fusion proteins.

The present invention is not to be limited in scope by the exemplified embodiments which are intended as illustrations of single aspects of the invention, and any clones, nucleotide or amino acid sequences which are functionally equivalent are within the scope of the invention. Indeed, various modifications of the invention in addition to those described herein will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing description and accompanying drawings. Such modifications are intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims. It is also to be understood that all base pair sizes given for nucleotides are approximate and are used for purposes of description.

All publications cited herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety.

TABLE 1 REACTIVITY OF TBF-2 FUSION PROTEIN WITH TB AND NORMAL SERA TbF TbF-2 ELISA Reactivity Serum ID Status OD450 Status OD450 Status 38 kD TbRa3 Tb38-1 DPEP B931-40 TB 0.57 + 0.321 + − + − + B931-41 TB 0.601 + 0.396 + + + + − B931-109 TB 0.494 + 0.404 + + + ±± − B931-132 TB 1.502 + 1.292 + + + + ±± 5004 TB 1.806 + 1.666 + ±± ±± + − 15004 TB 2.862 + 2.468 + + + + − 39004 TB 2.443 + 1.722 + + + + − 68004 TB 2.871 + 2.575 + + + + − 99004 TB 0.691 + 0.971 + − ±± + − 107004 TB 0.875 + 0.732 + − ±± + − 92004 TB 1.632 + 1.394 + + ±± ±± − 97004 TB 1.491 + 1.979 + + ±± − + 118004 TB 3.182 + 3.045 + + ±± − − 173004 TB 3.644 + 3.578 + + + + − 175004 TB 3.332 + 2.916 + + + − − 274004 TB 3.696 + 3.716 + − + − + 276004 TB 3.243 + 2.56 + − − + − 282004 TB 1.249 + 1.234 + + − − − 289004 TB 1.373 + 1.17 + − + − − 308004 TB 3.708 + 3.355 + − − + − 314004 TB 1.663 + 1.399 + − − + − 317004 TB 1.163 + 0.92 − + − − − 312004 TB 1.709 + 1.453 + − + − − 380004 TB 0.238 − 0.461 + − ±± − + 451004 TB 0.18 − 0.2 − − − − ±± 478004 TB 0.188 − 0.469 + − − − ±± 410004 TB 0.384 + 2.392 + ±± − − + 411004 TB 0.306 + 0.874 + − + − + 421004 TB 0.357 + 1.456 + − + − + 528004 TB 0.047 − 0.196 − − − − + A6-87 Normal 0.094 − 0.063 − − − − − A6-88 Normal 0.214 − 0.19 − − − − − A6-89 Normal 0.248 − 0.125 − − − − − A6-90 Normal 0.179 − 0.206 − − − − − A6-91 Normal 0.135 − 0.151 − − − − − A6-92 Normal 0.064 − 0.097 − − − − − A6-93 Normal 0.072 − 0.098 − − − − − A6-94 Normal 0.072 − 0.064 − − − − − A6-95 Normal 0.125 − 0.159 − − − − − A6-96 Normal 0.121 − 0.12 − − − − − Cut-off 0.284 0.266

46 1 2287 DNA Artificial Sequence Description of Artificial Sequencetri-fusion protein Ra12-TbH9-Ra35 (designated Mtb32-Mtb39 fusion) 1 tctagaaata attttgttta ctttaagaan ganatataca t atg cat cac cat cac 56 Met His His His His 1 5 cat cac acg gcc gcg tcc gat aac ttc cag ctg tcc cag ggt ggg cag 104 His His Thr Ala Ala Ser Asp Asn Phe Gln Leu Ser Gln Gly Gly Gln 10 15 20 gga ttc gcc att ccg atc ggg cag gcg atg gcg atc gcg ggc cag atc 152 Gly Phe Ala Ile Pro Ile Gly Gln Ala Met Ala Ile Ala Gly Gln Ile 25 30 35 cga tcg ggt ggg ggg tca ccc acc gtt cat atc ggg cct acc gcc ttc 200 Arg Ser Gly Gly Gly Ser Pro Thr Val His Ile Gly Pro Thr Ala Phe 40 45 50 ctc ggc ttg ggt gtt gtc gac aac aac ggc aac ggc gca cga gtc caa 248 Leu Gly Leu Gly Val Val Asp Asn Asn Gly Asn Gly Ala Arg Val Gln 55 60 65 cgc gtg gtc ggg agc gct ccg gcg gca agt ctc ggc atc tcc acc ggc 296 Arg Val Val Gly Ser Ala Pro Ala Ala Ser Leu Gly Ile Ser Thr Gly 70 75 80 85 gac gtg atc acc gcg gtc gac ggc gct ccg atc aac tcg gcc acc gcg 344 Asp Val Ile Thr Ala Val Asp Gly Ala Pro Ile Asn Ser Ala Thr Ala 90 95 100 atg gcg gac gcg ctt aac ggg cat cat ccc ggt gac gtc atc tcg gtg 392 Met Ala Asp Ala Leu Asn Gly His His Pro Gly Asp Val Ile Ser Val 105 110 115 acc tgg caa acc aag tcg ggc ggc acg cgt aca ggg aac gtg aca ttg 440 Thr Trp Gln Thr Lys Ser Gly Gly Thr Arg Thr Gly Asn Val Thr Leu 120 125 130 gcc gag gga ccc ccg gcc gaa ttc atg gtg gat ttc ggg gcg tta cca 488 Ala Glu Gly Pro Pro Ala Glu Phe Met Val Asp Phe Gly Ala Leu Pro 135 140 145 ccg gag atc aac tcc gcg agg atg tac gcc ggc ccg ggt tcg gcc tcg 536 Pro Glu Ile Asn Ser Ala Arg Met Tyr Ala Gly Pro Gly Ser Ala Ser 150 155 160 165 ctg gtg gcc gcg gct cag atg tgg gac agc gtg gcg agt gac ctg ttt 584 Leu Val Ala Ala Ala Gln Met Trp Asp Ser Val Ala Ser Asp Leu Phe 170 175 180 tcg gcc gcg tcg gcg ttt cag tcg gtg gtc tgg ggt ctg acg gtg ggg 632 Ser Ala Ala Ser Ala Phe Gln Ser Val Val Trp Gly Leu Thr Val Gly 185 190 195 tcg tgg ata ggt tcg tcg gcg ggt ctg atg gtg gcg gcg gcc tcg ccg 680 Ser Trp Ile Gly Ser Ser Ala Gly Leu Met Val Ala Ala Ala Ser Pro 200 205 210 tat gtg gcg tgg atg agc gtc acc gcg ggg cag gcc gag ctg acc gcc 728 Tyr Val Ala Trp Met Ser Val Thr Ala Gly Gln Ala Glu Leu Thr Ala 215 220 225 gcc cag gtc cgg gtt gct gcg gcg gcc tac gag acg gcg tat ggg ctg 776 Ala Gln Val Arg Val Ala Ala Ala Ala Tyr Glu Thr Ala Tyr Gly Leu 230 235 240 245 acg gtg ccc ccg ccg gtg atc gcc gag aac cgt gct gaa ctg atg att 824 Thr Val Pro Pro Pro Val Ile Ala Glu Asn Arg Ala Glu Leu Met Ile 250 255 260 ctg ata gcg acc aac ctc ttg ggg caa aac acc ccg gcg atc gcg gtc 872 Leu Ile Ala Thr Asn Leu Leu Gly Gln Asn Thr Pro Ala Ile Ala Val 265 270 275 aac gag gcc gaa tac ggc gag atg tgg gcc caa gac gcc gcc gcg atg 920 Asn Glu Ala Glu Tyr Gly Glu Met Trp Ala Gln Asp Ala Ala Ala Met 280 285 290 ttt ggc tac gcc gcg gcg acg gcg acg gcg acg gcg acg ttg ctg ccg 968 Phe Gly Tyr Ala Ala Ala Thr Ala Thr Ala Thr Ala Thr Leu Leu Pro 295 300 305 ttc gag gag gcg ccg gag atg acc agc gcg ggt ggg ctc ctc gag cag 1016 Phe Glu Glu Ala Pro Glu Met Thr Ser Ala Gly Gly Leu Leu Glu Gln 310 315 320 325 gcc gcc gcg gtc gag gag gcc tcc gac acc gcc gcg gcg aac cag ttg 1064 Ala Ala Ala Val Glu Glu Ala Ser Asp Thr Ala Ala Ala Asn Gln Leu 330 335 340 atg aac aat gtg ccc cag gcg ctg caa cag ctg gcc cag ccc acg cag 1112 Met Asn Asn Val Pro Gln Ala Leu Gln Gln Leu Ala Gln Pro Thr Gln 345 350 355 ggc acc acg cct tct tcc aag ctg ggt ggc ctg tgg aag acg gtc tcg 1160 Gly Thr Thr Pro Ser Ser Lys Leu Gly Gly Leu Trp Lys Thr Val Ser 360 365 370 ccg cat cgg tcg ccg atc agc aac atg gtg tcg atg gcc aac aac cac 1208 Pro His Arg Ser Pro Ile Ser Asn Met Val Ser Met Ala Asn Asn His 375 380 385 atg tcg atg acc aac tcg ggt gtg tcg atg acc aac acc ttg agc tcg 1256 Met Ser Met Thr Asn Ser Gly Val Ser Met Thr Asn Thr Leu Ser Ser 390 395 400 405 atg ttg aag ggc ttt gct ccg gcg gcg gcc cgc cag gcc gtg caa acc 1304 Met Leu Lys Gly Phe Ala Pro Ala Ala Ala Arg Gln Ala Val Gln Thr 410 415 420 gcg gcg caa aac ggg gtc cgg gcg atg agc tcg ctg ggc agc tcg ctg 1352 Ala Ala Gln Asn Gly Val Arg Ala Met Ser Ser Leu Gly Ser Ser Leu 425 430 435 ggt tct tcg ggt ctg ggc ggt ggg gtg gcc gcc aac ttg ggt cgg gcg 1400 Gly Ser Ser Gly Leu Gly Gly Gly Val Ala Ala Asn Leu Gly Arg Ala 440 445 450 gcc tcg gtc ggt tcg ttg tcg gtg ccg cag gcc tgg gcc gcg gcc aac 1448 Ala Ser Val Gly Ser Leu Ser Val Pro Gln Ala Trp Ala Ala Ala Asn 455 460 465 cag gca gtc acc ccg gcg gcg cgg gcg ctg ccg ctg acc agc ctg acc 1496 Gln Ala Val Thr Pro Ala Ala Arg Ala Leu Pro Leu Thr Ser Leu Thr 470 475 480 485 agc gcc gcg gaa aga ggg ccc ggg cag atg ctg ggc ggg ctg ccg gtg 1544 Ser Ala Ala Glu Arg Gly Pro Gly Gln Met Leu Gly Gly Leu Pro Val 490 495 500 ggg cag atg ggc gcc agg gcc ggt ggt ggg ctc agt ggt gtg ctg cgt 1592 Gly Gln Met Gly Ala Arg Ala Gly Gly Gly Leu Ser Gly Val Leu Arg 505 510 515 gtt ccg ccg cga ccc tat gtg atg ccg cat tct ccg gca gcc ggc gat 1640 Val Pro Pro Arg Pro Tyr Val Met Pro His Ser Pro Ala Ala Gly Asp 520 525 530 atc gcc ccg ccg gcc ttg tcg cag gac cgg ttc gcc gac ttc ccc gcg 1688 Ile Ala Pro Pro Ala Leu Ser Gln Asp Arg Phe Ala Asp Phe Pro Ala 535 540 545 ctg ccc ctc gac ccg tcc gcg atg gtc gcc caa gtg ggg cca cag gtg 1736 Leu Pro Leu Asp Pro Ser Ala Met Val Ala Gln Val Gly Pro Gln Val 550 555 560 565 gtc aac atc aac acc aaa ctg ggc tac aac aac gcc gtg ggc gcc ggg 1784 Val Asn Ile Asn Thr Lys Leu Gly Tyr Asn Asn Ala Val Gly Ala Gly 570 575 580 acc ggc atc gtc atc gat ccc aac ggt gtc gtg ctg acc aac aac cac 1832 Thr Gly Ile Val Ile Asp Pro Asn Gly Val Val Leu Thr Asn Asn His 585 590 595 gtg atc gcg ggc gcc acc gac atc aat gcg ttc agc gtc ggc tcc ggc 1880 Val Ile Ala Gly Ala Thr Asp Ile Asn Ala Phe Ser Val Gly Ser Gly 600 605 610 caa acc tac ggc gtc gat gtg gtc ggg tat gac cgc acc cag gat gtc 1928 Gln Thr Tyr Gly Val Asp Val Val Gly Tyr Asp Arg Thr Gln Asp Val 615 620 625 gcg gtg ctg cag ctg cgc ggt gcc ggt ggc ctg ccg tcg gcg gcg atc 1976 Ala Val Leu Gln Leu Arg Gly Ala Gly Gly Leu Pro Ser Ala Ala Ile 630 635 640 645 ggt ggc ggc gtc gcg gtt ggt gag ccc gtc gtc gcg atg ggc aac agc 2024 Gly Gly Gly Val Ala Val Gly Glu Pro Val Val Ala Met Gly Asn Ser 650 655 660 ggt ggg cag ggc gga acg ccc cgt gcg gtg cct ggc agg gtg gtc gcg 2072 Gly Gly Gln Gly Gly Thr Pro Arg Ala Val Pro Gly Arg Val Val Ala 665 670 675 ctc ggc caa acc gtg cag gcg tcg gat tcg ctg acc ggt gcc gaa gag 2120 Leu Gly Gln Thr Val Gln Ala Ser Asp Ser Leu Thr Gly Ala Glu Glu 680 685 690 aca ttg aac ggg ttg atc cag ttc gat gcc gcg atc cag ccc ggt gat 2168 Thr Leu Asn Gly Leu Ile Gln Phe Asp Ala Ala Ile Gln Pro Gly Asp 695 700 705 tcg ggc ggg ccc gtc gtc aac ggc cta gga cag gtg gtc ggt atg aac 2216 Ser Gly Gly Pro Val Val Asn Gly Leu Gly Gln Val Val Gly Met Asn 710 715 720 725 acg gcc gcg tcc taggatatcc atcacactgg cggccgctcg agcagatccg 2268 Thr Ala Ala Ser gntgtaacaa agcccgaaa 2287 2 729 PRT Artificial Sequence Description of Artificial Sequencetri-fusion 2 Met His His His His His His Thr Ala Ala Ser Asp Asn Phe Gln Leu 1 5 10 15 Ser Gln Gly Gly Gln Gly Phe Ala Ile Pro Ile Gly Gln Ala Met Ala 20 25 30 Ile Ala Gly Gln Ile Arg Ser Gly Gly Gly Ser Pro Thr Val His Ile 35 40 45 Gly Pro Thr Ala Phe Leu Gly Leu Gly Val Val Asp Asn Asn Gly Asn 50 55 60 Gly Ala Arg Val Gln Arg Val Val Gly Ser Ala Pro Ala Ala Ser Leu 65 70 75 80 Gly Ile Ser Thr Gly Asp Val Ile Thr Ala Val Asp Gly Ala Pro Ile 85 90 95 Asn Ser Ala Thr Ala Met Ala Asp Ala Leu Asn Gly His His Pro Gly 100 105 110 Asp Val Ile Ser Val Thr Trp Gln Thr Lys Ser Gly Gly Thr Arg Thr 115 120 125 Gly Asn Val Thr Leu Ala Glu Gly Pro Pro Ala Glu Phe Met Val Asp 130 135 140 Phe Gly Ala Leu Pro Pro Glu Ile Asn Ser Ala Arg Met Tyr Ala Gly 145 150 155 160 Pro Gly Ser Ala Ser Leu Val Ala Ala Ala Gln Met Trp Asp Ser Val 165 170 175 Ala Ser Asp Leu Phe Ser Ala Ala Ser Ala Phe Gln Ser Val Val Trp 180 185 190 Gly Leu Thr Val Gly Ser Trp Ile Gly Ser Ser Ala Gly Leu Met Val 195 200 205 Ala Ala Ala Ser Pro Tyr Val Ala Trp Met Ser Val Thr Ala Gly Gln 210 215 220 Ala Glu Leu Thr Ala Ala Gln Val Arg Val Ala Ala Ala Ala Tyr Glu 225 230 235 240 Thr Ala Tyr Gly Leu Thr Val Pro Pro Pro Val Ile Ala Glu Asn Arg 245 250 255 Ala Glu Leu Met Ile Leu Ile Ala Thr Asn Leu Leu Gly Gln Asn Thr 260 265 270 Pro Ala Ile Ala Val Asn Glu Ala Glu Tyr Gly Glu Met Trp Ala Gln 275 280 285 Asp Ala Ala Ala Met Phe Gly Tyr Ala Ala Ala Thr Ala Thr Ala Thr 290 295 300 Ala Thr Leu Leu Pro Phe Glu Glu Ala Pro Glu Met Thr Ser Ala Gly 305 310 315 320 Gly Leu Leu Glu Gln Ala Ala Ala Val Glu Glu Ala Ser Asp Thr Ala 325 330 335 Ala Ala Asn Gln Leu Met Asn Asn Val Pro Gln Ala Leu Gln Gln Leu 340 345 350 Ala Gln Pro Thr Gln Gly Thr Thr Pro Ser Ser Lys Leu Gly Gly Leu 355 360 365 Trp Lys Thr Val Ser Pro His Arg Ser Pro Ile Ser Asn Met Val Ser 370 375 380 Met Ala Asn Asn His Met Ser Met Thr Asn Ser Gly Val Ser Met Thr 385 390 395 400 Asn Thr Leu Ser Ser Met Leu Lys Gly Phe Ala Pro Ala Ala Ala Arg 405 410 415 Gln Ala Val Gln Thr Ala Ala Gln Asn Gly Val Arg Ala Met Ser Ser 420 425 430 Leu Gly Ser Ser Leu Gly Ser Ser Gly Leu Gly Gly Gly Val Ala Ala 435 440 445 Asn Leu Gly Arg Ala Ala Ser Val Gly Ser Leu Ser Val Pro Gln Ala 450 455 460 Trp Ala Ala Ala Asn Gln Ala Val Thr Pro Ala Ala Arg Ala Leu Pro 465 470 475 480 Leu Thr Ser Leu Thr Ser Ala Ala Glu Arg Gly Pro Gly Gln Met Leu 485 490 495 Gly Gly Leu Pro Val Gly Gln Met Gly Ala Arg Ala Gly Gly Gly Leu 500 505 510 Ser Gly Val Leu Arg Val Pro Pro Arg Pro Tyr Val Met Pro His Ser 515 520 525 Pro Ala Ala Gly Asp Ile Ala Pro Pro Ala Leu Ser Gln Asp Arg Phe 530 535 540 Ala Asp Phe Pro Ala Leu Pro Leu Asp Pro Ser Ala Met Val Ala Gln 545 550 555 560 Val Gly Pro Gln Val Val Asn Ile Asn Thr Lys Leu Gly Tyr Asn Asn 565 570 575 Ala Val Gly Ala Gly Thr Gly Ile Val Ile Asp Pro Asn Gly Val Val 580 585 590 Leu Thr Asn Asn His Val Ile Ala Gly Ala Thr Asp Ile Asn Ala Phe 595 600 605 Ser Val Gly Ser Gly Gln Thr Tyr Gly Val Asp Val Val Gly Tyr Asp 610 615 620 Arg Thr Gln Asp Val Ala Val Leu Gln Leu Arg Gly Ala Gly Gly Leu 625 630 635 640 Pro Ser Ala Ala Ile Gly Gly Gly Val Ala Val Gly Glu Pro Val Val 645 650 655 Ala Met Gly Asn Ser Gly Gly Gln Gly Gly Thr Pro Arg Ala Val Pro 660 665 670 Gly Arg Val Val Ala Leu Gly Gln Thr Val Gln Ala Ser Asp Ser Leu 675 680 685 Thr Gly Ala Glu Glu Thr Leu Asn Gly Leu Ile Gln Phe Asp Ala Ala 690 695 700 Ile Gln Pro Gly Asp Ser Gly Gly Pro Val Val Asn Gly Leu Gly Gln 705 710 715 720 Val Val Gly Met Asn Thr Ala Ala Ser 725 3 1081 DNA Artificial Sequence Description of Artificial Sequencetri-fusion protein Erd14-DPV-MTI 3 gatatacat atg cat cac cat cac cat cac atg gcc acc acc ctt ccc gtt 51 Met His His His His His His Met Ala Thr Thr Leu Pro Val 1 5 10 cag cgc cac ccg cgg tcc ctc ttc ccc gag ttt tct gag ctg ttc gcg 99 Gln Arg His Pro Arg Ser Leu Phe Pro Glu Phe Ser Glu Leu Phe Ala 15 20 25 30 gcc ttc ccg tca ttc gcc gga ctc cgg ccc acc ttc gac acc cgg ttg 147 Ala Phe Pro Ser Phe Ala Gly Leu Arg Pro Thr Phe Asp Thr Arg Leu 35 40 45 atg cgg ctg gaa gac gag atg aaa gag ggg cgc tac gag gta cgc gcg 195 Met Arg Leu Glu Asp Glu Met Lys Glu Gly Arg Tyr Glu Val Arg Ala 50 55 60 gag ctt ccc ggg gtc gac ccc gac aag gac gtc gac att atg gtc cgc 243 Glu Leu Pro Gly Val Asp Pro Asp Lys Asp Val Asp Ile Met Val Arg 65 70 75 gat ggt cag ctg acc atc aag gcc gag cgc acc gag cag aag gac ttc 291 Asp Gly Gln Leu Thr Ile Lys Ala Glu Arg Thr Glu Gln Lys Asp Phe 80 85 90 gac ggt cgc tcg gaa ttc gcg tac ggt tcc ttc gtt cgc acg gtg tcg 339 Asp Gly Arg Ser Glu Phe Ala Tyr Gly Ser Phe Val Arg Thr Val Ser 95 100 105 110 ctg ccg gta ggt gct gac gag gac gac att aag gcc acc tac gac aag 387 Leu Pro Val Gly Ala Asp Glu Asp Asp Ile Lys Ala Thr Tyr Asp Lys 115 120 125 ggc att ctt act gtg tcg gtg gcg gtt tcg gaa ggg aag cca acc gaa 435 Gly Ile Leu Thr Val Ser Val Ala Val Ser Glu Gly Lys Pro Thr Glu 130 135 140 aag cac att cag atc cgg tcc acc aac aag ctt gat ccc gtg gac gcg 483 Lys His Ile Gln Ile Arg Ser Thr Asn Lys Leu Asp Pro Val Asp Ala 145 150 155 gtc att aac acc acc tgc aat tac ggg cag gta gta gct gcg ctc aac 531 Val Ile Asn Thr Thr Cys Asn Tyr Gly Gln Val Val Ala Ala Leu Asn 160 165 170 gcg acg gat ccg ggg gct gcc gca cag ttc aac gcc tca ccg gtg gcg 579 Ala Thr Asp Pro Gly Ala Ala Ala Gln Phe Asn Ala Ser Pro Val Ala 175 180 185 190 cag tcc tat ttg cgc aat ttc ctc gcc gca ccg cca cct cag cgc gct 627 Gln Ser Tyr Leu Arg Asn Phe Leu Ala Ala Pro Pro Pro Gln Arg Ala 195 200 205 gcc atg gcc gcg caa ttg caa gct gtg ccg ggg gcg gca cag tac atc 675 Ala Met Ala Ala Gln Leu Gln Ala Val Pro Gly Ala Ala Gln Tyr Ile 210 215 220 ggc ctt gtc gag tcg gtt gcc ggc tcc tgc aac aac tat gag ctc atg 723 Gly Leu Val Glu Ser Val Ala Gly Ser Cys Asn Asn Tyr Glu Leu Met 225 230 235 acg att aat tac cag ttc ggg gac gtc gac gct cat ggc gcc atg atc 771 Thr Ile Asn Tyr Gln Phe Gly Asp Val Asp Ala His Gly Ala Met Ile 240 245 250 cgc gct cag gcg gcg tcg ctt gag gcg gag cat cag gcc atc gtt cgt 819 Arg Ala Gln Ala Ala Ser Leu Glu Ala Glu His Gln Ala Ile Val Arg 255 260 265 270 gat gtg ttg gcc gcg ggt gac ttt tgg ggc ggc gcc ggt tcg gtg gct 867 Asp Val Leu Ala Ala Gly Asp Phe Trp Gly Gly Ala Gly Ser Val Ala 275 280 285 tgc cag gag ttc att acc cag ttg ggc cgt aac ttc cag gtg atc tac 915 Cys Gln Glu Phe Ile Thr Gln Leu Gly Arg Asn Phe Gln Val Ile Tyr 290 295 300 gag cag gcc aac gcc cac ggg cag aag gtg cag gct gcc ggc aac aac 963 Glu Gln Ala Asn Ala His Gly Gln Lys Val Gln Ala Ala Gly Asn Asn 305 310 315 atg gcg caa acc gac agc gcc gtc ggc tcc agc tgg gcc actagtaacg 1012 Met Ala Gln Thr Asp Ser Ala Val Gly Ser Ser Trp Ala 320 325 330 gccgccagtg tgctggaatt ctgcagatat ccatcacact ggcggccgct cgagcagatc 1072 cggctgcta 1081 4 331 PRT Artificial Sequence Description of Artificial Sequencetri-fusion 4 Met His His His His His His Met Ala Thr Thr Leu Pro Val Gln Arg 1 5 10 15 His Pro Arg Ser Leu Phe Pro Glu Phe Ser Glu Leu Phe Ala Ala Phe 20 25 30 Pro Ser Phe Ala Gly Leu Arg Pro Thr Phe Asp Thr Arg Leu Met Arg 35 40 45 Leu Glu Asp Glu Met Lys Glu Gly Arg Tyr Glu Val Arg Ala Glu Leu 50 55 60 Pro Gly Val Asp Pro Asp Lys Asp Val Asp Ile Met Val Arg Asp Gly 65 70 75 80 Gln Leu Thr Ile Lys Ala Glu Arg Thr Glu Gln Lys Asp Phe Asp Gly 85 90 95 Arg Ser Glu Phe Ala Tyr Gly Ser Phe Val Arg Thr Val Ser Leu Pro 100 105 110 Val Gly Ala Asp Glu Asp Asp Ile Lys Ala Thr Tyr Asp Lys Gly Ile 115 120 125 Leu Thr Val Ser Val Ala Val Ser Glu Gly Lys Pro Thr Glu Lys His 130 135 140 Ile Gln Ile Arg Ser Thr Asn Lys Leu Asp Pro Val Asp Ala Val Ile 145 150 155 160 Asn Thr Thr Cys Asn Tyr Gly Gln Val Val Ala Ala Leu Asn Ala Thr 165 170 175 Asp Pro Gly Ala Ala Ala Gln Phe Asn Ala Ser Pro Val Ala Gln Ser 180 185 190 Tyr Leu Arg Asn Phe Leu Ala Ala Pro Pro Pro Gln Arg Ala Ala Met 195 200 205 Ala Ala Gln Leu Gln Ala Val Pro Gly Ala Ala Gln Tyr Ile Gly Leu 210 215 220 Val Glu Ser Val Ala Gly Ser Cys Asn Asn Tyr Glu Leu Met Thr Ile 225 230 235 240 Asn Tyr Gln Phe Gly Asp Val Asp Ala His Gly Ala Met Ile Arg Ala 245 250 255 Gln Ala Ala Ser Leu Glu Ala Glu His Gln Ala Ile Val Arg Asp Val 260 265 270 Leu Ala Ala Gly Asp Phe Trp Gly Gly Ala Gly Ser Val Ala Cys Gln 275 280 285 Glu Phe Ile Thr Gln Leu Gly Arg Asn Phe Gln Val Ile Tyr Glu Gln 290 295 300 Ala Asn Ala His Gly Gln Lys Val Gln Ala Ala Gly Asn Asn Met Ala 305 310 315 320 Gln Thr Asp Ser Ala Val Gly Ser Ser Trp Ala 325 330 5 1993 DNA Artificial Sequence Description of Artificial Sequencetri-fusion protein TbRa3-38kD-Tb38-1 5 tgttcttcga cggcaggctg gtggaggaag ggcccaccga acagctgttc tcctcgccga 60 agcatgcgga aaccgcccga tacgtcgccg gactgtcggg ggacgtcaag gacgccaagc 120 gcggaaattg aagagcacag aaaggtatgg c gtg aaa att cgt ttg cat acg 172 Val Lys Ile Arg Leu His Thr 1 5 ctg ttg gcc gtg ttg acc gct gcg ccg ctg ctg cta gca gcg gcg ggc 220 Leu Leu Ala Val Leu Thr Ala Ala Pro Leu Leu Leu Ala Ala Ala Gly 10 15 20 tgt ggc tcg aaa cca ccg agc ggt tcg cct gaa acg ggc gcc ggc gcc 268 Cys Gly Ser Lys Pro Pro Ser Gly Ser Pro Glu Thr Gly Ala Gly Ala 25 30 35 ggt act gtc gcg act acc ccc gcg tcg tcg ccg gtg acg ttg gcg gag 316 Gly Thr Val Ala Thr Thr Pro Ala Ser Ser Pro Val Thr Leu Ala Glu 40 45 50 55 acc ggt agc acg ctg ctc tac ccg ctg ttc aac ctg tgg ggt ccg gcc 364 Thr Gly Ser Thr Leu Leu Tyr Pro Leu Phe Asn Leu Trp Gly Pro Ala 60 65 70 ttt cac gag agg tat ccg aac gtc acg atc acc gct cag ggc acc ggt 412 Phe His Glu Arg Tyr Pro Asn Val Thr Ile Thr Ala Gln Gly Thr Gly 75 80 85 tct ggt gcc ggg atc gcg cag gcc gcc gcc ggg acg gtc aac att ggg 460 Ser Gly Ala Gly Ile Ala Gln Ala Ala Ala Gly Thr Val Asn Ile Gly 90 95 100 gcc tcc gac gcc tat ctg tcg gaa ggt gat atg gcc gcg cac aag ggg 508 Ala Ser Asp Ala Tyr Leu Ser Glu Gly Asp Met Ala Ala His Lys Gly 105 110 115 ctg atg aac atc gcg cta gcc atc tcc gct cag cag gtc aac tac aac 556 Leu Met Asn Ile Ala Leu Ala Ile Ser Ala Gln Gln Val Asn Tyr Asn 120 125 130 135 ctg ccc gga gtg agc gag cac ctc aag ctg aac gga aaa gtc ctg gcg 604 Leu Pro Gly Val Ser Glu His Leu Lys Leu Asn Gly Lys Val Leu Ala 140 145 150 gcc atg tac cag ggc acc atc aaa acc tgg gac gac ccg cag atc gct 652 Ala Met Tyr Gln Gly Thr Ile Lys Thr Trp Asp Asp Pro Gln Ile Ala 155 160 165 gcg ctc aac ccc ggc gtg aac ctg ccc ggc acc gcg gta gtt ccg ctg 700 Ala Leu Asn Pro Gly Val Asn Leu Pro Gly Thr Ala Val Val Pro Leu 170 175 180 cac cgc tcc gac ggg tcc ggt gac acc ttc ttg ttc acc cag tac ctg 748 His Arg Ser Asp Gly Ser Gly Asp Thr Phe Leu Phe Thr Gln Tyr Leu 185 190 195 tcc aag caa gat ccc gag ggc tgg ggc aag tcg ccc ggc ttc ggc acc 796 Ser Lys Gln Asp Pro Glu Gly Trp Gly Lys Ser Pro Gly Phe Gly Thr 200 205 210 215 acc gtc gac ttc ccg gcg gtg ccg ggt gcg ctg ggt gag aac ggc aac 844 Thr Val Asp Phe Pro Ala Val Pro Gly Ala Leu Gly Glu Asn Gly Asn 220 225 230 ggc ggc atg gtg acc ggt tgc gcc gag aca ccg ggc tgc gtg gcc tat 892 Gly Gly Met Val Thr Gly Cys Ala Glu Thr Pro Gly Cys Val Ala Tyr 235 240 245 atc ggc atc agc ttc ctc gac cag gcc agt caa cgg gga ctc ggc gag 940 Ile Gly Ile Ser Phe Leu Asp Gln Ala Ser Gln Arg Gly Leu Gly Glu 250 255 260 gcc caa cta ggc aat agc tct ggc aat ttc ttg ttg ccc gac gcg caa 988 Ala Gln Leu Gly Asn Ser Ser Gly Asn Phe Leu Leu Pro Asp Ala Gln 265 270 275 agc att cag gcc gcg gcg gct ggc ttc gca tcg aaa acc ccg gcg aac 1036 Ser Ile Gln Ala Ala Ala Ala Gly Phe Ala Ser Lys Thr Pro Ala Asn 280 285 290 295 cag gcg att tcg atg atc gac ggg ccc gcc ccg gac ggc tac ccg atc 1084 Gln Ala Ile Ser Met Ile Asp Gly Pro Ala Pro Asp Gly Tyr Pro Ile 300 305 310 atc aac tac gag tac gcc atc gtc aac aac cgg caa aag gac gcc gcc 1132 Ile Asn Tyr Glu Tyr Ala Ile Val Asn Asn Arg Gln Lys Asp Ala Ala 315 320 325 acc gcg cag acc ttg cag gca ttt ctg cac tgg gcg atc acc gac ggc 1180 Thr Ala Gln Thr Leu Gln Ala Phe Leu His Trp Ala Ile Thr Asp Gly 330 335 340 aac aag gcc tcg ttc ctc gac cag gtt cat ttc cag ccg ctg ccg ccc 1228 Asn Lys Ala Ser Phe Leu Asp Gln Val His Phe Gln Pro Leu Pro Pro 345 350 355 gcg gtg gtg aag ttg tct gac gcg ttg atc gcg acg att tcc agc 1273 Ala Val Val Lys Leu Ser Asp Ala Leu Ile Ala Thr Ile Ser Ser 360 365 370 tagcctcgtt gaccaccacg cgacagcaac ctccgtcggg ccatcgggct gctttgcgga 1333 gcatgctggc ccgtgccggt gaagtcggcc gcgctggccc ggccatccgg tggttgggtg 1393 ggataggtgc ggtgatcccg ctgcttgcgc tggtcttggt gctggtggtg ctggtcatcg 1453 aggcgatggg tgcgatcagg ctcaacgggt tgcatttctt caccgccacc gaatggaatc 1513 caggcaacac ctacggcgaa accgttgtca ccgacgcgtc gcccatccgg tcggcgccta 1573 ctacggggcg ttgccgctga tcgtcgggac gctggcgacc tcggcaatcg ccctgatcat 1633 cgcggtgccg gtctctgtag gagcggcgct ggtgatcgtg gaacggctgc cgaaacggtt 1693 ggccgaggct gtgggaatag tcctggaatt gctcgccgga atccccagcg tggtcgtcgg 1753 tttgtggggg gcaatgacgt tcgggccgtt catcgctcat cacatcgctc cggtgatcgc 1813 tcacaacgct cccgatgtgc cggtgctgaa ctacttgcgc ggcgacccgg gcaacgggga 1873 gggcatgttg gtgtccggtc tggtgttggc ggtgatggtc gttcccatta tcgccaccac 1933 cactcatgac ctgttccggc aggtgccggt gttgccccgg gagggcgcga tcgggaattc 1993 6 374 PRT Artificial Sequence Description of Artificial Sequencetri-fusion 6 Val Lys Ile Arg Leu His Thr Leu Leu Ala Val Leu Thr Ala Ala Pro 1 5 10 15 Leu Leu Leu Ala Ala Ala Gly Cys Gly Ser Lys Pro Pro Ser Gly Ser 20 25 30 Pro Glu Thr Gly Ala Gly Ala Gly Thr Val Ala Thr Thr Pro Ala Ser 35 40 45 Ser Pro Val Thr Leu Ala Glu Thr Gly Ser Thr Leu Leu Tyr Pro Leu 50 55 60 Phe Asn Leu Trp Gly Pro Ala Phe His Glu Arg Tyr Pro Asn Val Thr 65 70 75 80 Ile Thr Ala Gln Gly Thr Gly Ser Gly Ala Gly Ile Ala Gln Ala Ala 85 90 95 Ala Gly Thr Val Asn Ile Gly Ala Ser Asp Ala Tyr Leu Ser Glu Gly 100 105 110 Asp Met Ala Ala His Lys Gly Leu Met Asn Ile Ala Leu Ala Ile Ser 115 120 125 Ala Gln Gln Val Asn Tyr Asn Leu Pro Gly Val Ser Glu His Leu Lys 130 135 140 Leu Asn Gly Lys Val Leu Ala Ala Met Tyr Gln Gly Thr Ile Lys Thr 145 150 155 160 Trp Asp Asp Pro Gln Ile Ala Ala Leu Asn Pro Gly Val Asn Leu Pro 165 170 175 Gly Thr Ala Val Val Pro Leu His Arg Ser Asp Gly Ser Gly Asp Thr 180 185 190 Phe Leu Phe Thr Gln Tyr Leu Ser Lys Gln Asp Pro Glu Gly Trp Gly 195 200 205 Lys Ser Pro Gly Phe Gly Thr Thr Val Asp Phe Pro Ala Val Pro Gly 210 215 220 Ala Leu Gly Glu Asn Gly Asn Gly Gly Met Val Thr Gly Cys Ala Glu 225 230 235 240 Thr Pro Gly Cys Val Ala Tyr Ile Gly Ile Ser Phe Leu Asp Gln Ala 245 250 255 Ser Gln Arg Gly Leu Gly Glu Ala Gln Leu Gly Asn Ser Ser Gly Asn 260 265 270 Phe Leu Leu Pro Asp Ala Gln Ser Ile Gln Ala Ala Ala Ala Gly Phe 275 280 285 Ala Ser Lys Thr Pro Ala Asn Gln Ala Ile Ser Met Ile Asp Gly Pro 290 295 300 Ala Pro Asp Gly Tyr Pro Ile Ile Asn Tyr Glu Tyr Ala Ile Val Asn 305 310 315 320 Asn Arg Gln Lys Asp Ala Ala Thr Ala Gln Thr Leu Gln Ala Phe Leu 325 330 335 His Trp Ala Ile Thr Asp Gly Asn Lys Ala Ser Phe Leu Asp Gln Val 340 345 350 His Phe Gln Pro Leu Pro Pro Ala Val Val Lys Leu Ser Asp Ala Leu 355 360 365 Ile Ala Thr Ile Ser Ser 370 7 1777 DNA Artificial Sequence Description of Artificial Sequencebi-fusion protein TbH9-Tb38-1 7 ggtcttgacc accacctggg tgtcgaagtc ggtgcccgga ttgaagtcca ggtactcgtg 60 ggtggggcgg gcgaaacaat agcgacaagc atgcgagcag ccgcggtagc cgttgacggt 120 gtagcgaaac ggcaacgcgg ccgcgttggg caccttgttc agcgctgatt tgcacaacac 180 ctcgtggaag gtgatgccgt cgaattgtgg cgcgcgaacg ctgcggacca ggccgatccg 240 ctgcaacccg gcagcgcccg tcgtcaacgg gcatcccgtt caccgcgacg gcttgccggg 300 cccaacgcat accattattc gaacaaccgt tctatacttt gtcaacgctg gccgctaccg 360 agcgccgcac aggatgtgat atgccatctc tgcccgcaca gacaggagcc aggccttatg 420 acagcattcg gcgtcgagcc ctacgggcag ccgaagtacc tagaaatcgc cgggaagcgc 480 atggcgtata tcgacgaagg caagggtgac gccatcgtct ttcagcacgg caaccccacg 540 tcgtcttact tgtggcgcaa catcatgccg cacttggaag ggctgggccg gctggtggcc 600 tgcgatctga tcgggatggg cgcgtcggac aagctcagcc catcgggacc cgaccgctat 660 agctatggcg agcaacgaga ctttttgttc gcgctctggg atgcgctcga cctcggcgac 720 cacgtggtac tggtgctgca cgactggggc tcggcgctcg gcttcgactg ggctaaccag 780 catcgcgacc gagtgcaggg gatcgcgttc atggaagcga tcgtcacccc gatgacgtgg 840 gcggactggc cgccggccgt gcggggtgtg ttccagggtt tccgatcgcc tcaaggcgag 900 ccaatggcgt tggagcacaa catctttgtc gaacgggtgc tgcccggggc gatcctgcga 960 cagctcagcg acgaggaaat gaaccactat cggcggccat tcgtgaacgg cggcgaggac 1020 cgtcgcccca cgttgtcgtg gccacgaaac cttccaatcg acggtgagcc cgccgaggtc 1080 gtcgcgttgg tcaacgagta ccggagctgg ctcgaggaaa ccgacatgcc gaaactgttc 1140 atcaacgccg agcccggcgc gatcatcacc ggccgcatcc gtgactatgt caggagctgg 1200 cccaaccaga ccgaaatcac agtgcccggc gtgcatttcg ttcaggagga cagcgatggc 1260 gtcgtatcgt gggcgggcgc tcggcagcat cggcgacctg ggagcgctct catttcacga 1320 gaccaagaat gtgatttccg gcgaaggcgg cgccctgctt gtcaactcat aagacttcct 1380 gctccgggca gagattctca gggaaaaggg caccaatcgc agccgcttcc ttcgcaacga 1440 ggtcgacaaa tatacgtggc aggacaaagg tcttcctatt tgcccagcga attagtcgct 1500 gcctttctat gggctcagtt cgaggaagcc gagcggatca cgcgtatccg attggaccta 1560 tggaaccggt atcatgaaag cttcgaatca ttggaacagc gggggctcct gcgccgtccg 1620 atcatcccac agggctgctc tcacaacgcc cacatgtact acgtgttact agcgcccagc 1680 gccgatcggg aggaggtgct ggcgcgtctg acgagcgaag gtataggcgc ggtctttcat 1740 tacgtgccgc ttcacgattc gccggccggg cgtcgct 1777 8 358 PRT Artificial Sequence Description of Artificial Sequencebi-fusion protein TbH9-Tb38-1 8 Val Ala Trp Met Ser Val Thr Ala Gly Gln Ala Glu Leu Thr Ala Ala 1 5 10 15 Gln Val Arg Val Ala Ala Ala Ala Tyr Glu Thr Ala Tyr Gly Leu Thr 20 25 30 Val Pro Pro Pro Val Ile Ala Glu Asn Arg Ala Glu Leu Met Ile Leu 35 40 45 Ile Ala Thr Asn Leu Leu Gly Gln Asn Thr Pro Ala Ile Ala Val Asn 50 55 60 Glu Ala Glu Tyr Gly Glu Met Trp Ala Gln Asp Ala Ala Ala Met Phe 65 70 75 80 Gly Tyr Ala Ala Ala Thr Ala Thr Ala Thr Ala Thr Leu Leu Pro Phe 85 90 95 Glu Glu Ala Pro Glu Met Thr Ser Ala Gly Gly Leu Leu Glu Gln Ala 100 105 110 Ala Ala Val Glu Glu Ala Ser Asp Thr Ala Ala Ala Asn Gln Leu Met 115 120 125 Asn Asn Val Pro Gln Ala Leu Lys Gln Leu Ala Gln Pro Thr Gln Gly 130 135 140 Thr Thr Pro Ser Ser Lys Leu Gly Gly Leu Trp Lys Thr Val Ser Pro 145 150 155 160 His Arg Ser Pro Ile Ser Asn Met Val Ser Met Ala Asn Asn His Met 165 170 175 Ser Met Thr Asn Ser Gly Val Ser Met Thr Asn Thr Leu Ser Ser Met 180 185 190 Leu Lys Gly Phe Ala Pro Ala Ala Ala Ala Gln Ala Val Gln Thr Ala 195 200 205 Ala Gln Asn Gly Val Arg Ala Met Ser Ser Leu Gly Ser Ser Leu Gly 210 215 220 Ser Ser Gly Leu Gly Gly Gly Val Ala Ala Asn Leu Gly Arg Ala Ala 225 230 235 240 Ser Val Arg Tyr Gly His Arg Asp Gly Gly Lys Tyr Ala Xaa Ser Gly 245 250 255 Arg Arg Asn Gly Gly Pro Ala Thr Asp Ala Ala Thr Leu Ala Gln Glu 260 265 270 Ala Gly Asn Phe Glu Arg Ile Ser Gly Asp Leu Lys Thr Gln Ile Asp 275 280 285 Gln Val Glu Ser Thr Ala Gly Ser Leu Gln Gly Gln Trp Arg Gly Ala 290 295 300 Ala Gly Thr Ala Ala Gln Ala Ala Val Val Arg Phe Gln Glu Ala Ala 305 310 315 320 Asn Lys Gln Lys Gln Glu Leu Asp Glu Ile Ser Thr Asn Ile Arg Gln 325 330 335 Ala Gly Val Gln Tyr Ser Arg Ala Asp Glu Glu Gln Gln Gln Ala Leu 340 345 350 Ser Ser Gln Met Gly Phe 355 9 7676 DNA Artificial Sequence Description of Artificial Sequencetetra-fusion protein TbRa3-38kD-Tb38-1-DPEP (designated TbF-2) 9 tggcgaatgg gacgcgccct gtagcggcgc attaagcgcg gcgggtgtgg tggttacgcg 60 cagcgtgacc gctacacttg ccagcgccct agcgcccgct cctttcgctt tcttcccttc 120 ctttctcgcc acgttcgccg gctttccccg tcaagctcta aatcgggggc tccctttagg 180 gttccgattt agtgctttac ggcacctcga ccccaaaaaa cttgattagg gtgatggttc 240 acgtagtggg ccatcgccct gatagacggt ttttcgccct ttgacgttgg agtccacgtt 300 ctttaatagt ggactcttgt tccaaactgg aacaacactc aaccctatct cggtctattc 360 ttttgattta taagggattt tgccgatttc ggcctattgg ttaaaaaatg agctgattta 420 acaaaaattt aacgcgaatt ttaacaaaat attaacgttt acaatttcag gtggcacttt 480 tcggggaaat gtgcgcggaa cccctatttg tttatttttc taaatacatt caaatatgta 540 tccgctcatg aattaattct tagaaaaact catcgagcat caaatgaaac tgcaatttat 600 tcatatcagg attatcaata ccatattttt gaaaaagccg tttctgtaat gaaggagaaa 660 actcaccgag gcagttccat aggatggcaa gatcctggta tcggtctgcg attccgactc 720 gtccaacatc aatacaacct attaatttcc cctcgtcaaa aataaggtta tcaagtgaga 780 aatcaccatg agtgacgact gaatccggtg agaatggcaa aagtttatgc atttctttcc 840 agacttgttc aacaggccag ccattacgct cgtcatcaaa atcactcgca tcaaccaaac 900 cgttattcat tcgtgattgc gcctgagcga gacgaaatac gcgatcgctg ttaaaaggac 960 aattacaaac aggaatcgaa tgcaaccggc gcaggaacac tgccagcgca tcaacaatat 1020 tttcacctga atcaggatat tcttctaata cctggaatgc tgttttcccg gggatcgcag 1080 tggtgagtaa ccatgcatca tcaggagtac ggataaaatg cttgatggtc ggaagaggca 1140 taaattccgt cagccagttt agtctgacca tctcatctgt aacatcattg gcaacgctac 1200 ctttgccatg tttcagaaac aactctggcg catcgggctt cccatacaat cgatagattg 1260 tcgcacctga ttgcccgaca ttatcgcgag cccatttata cccatataaa tcagcatcca 1320 tgttggaatt taatcgcggc ctagagcaag acgtttcccg ttgaatatgg ctcataacac 1380 cccttgtatt actgtttatg taagcagaca gttttattgt tcatgaccaa aatcccttaa 1440 cgtgagtttt cgttccactg agcgtcagac cccgtagaaa agatcaaagg atcttcttga 1500 gatccttttt ttctgcgcgt aatctgctgc ttgcaaacaa aaaaaccacc gctaccagcg 1560 gtggtttgtt tgccggatca agagctacca actctttttc cgaaggtaac tggcttcagc 1620 agagcgcaga taccaaatac tgtccttcta gtgtagccgt agttaggcca ccacttcaag 1680 aactctgtag caccgcctac atacctcgct ctgctaatcc tgttaccagt ggctgctgcc 1740 agtggcgata agtcgtgtct taccgggttg gactcaagac gatagttacc ggataaggcg 1800 cagcggtcgg gctgaacggg gggttcgtgc acacagccca gcttggagcg aacgacctac 1860 accgaactga gatacctaca gcgtgagcta tgagaaagcg ccacgcttcc cgaagggaga 1920 aaggcggaca ggtatccggt aagcggcagg gtcggaacag gagagcgcac gagggagctt 1980 ccagggggaa acgcctggta tctttatagt cctgtcgggt ttcgccacct ctgacttgag 2040 cgtcgatttt tgtgatgctc gtcagggggg cggagcctat ggaaaaacgc cagcaacgcg 2100 gcctttttac ggttcctggc cttttgctgg ccttttgctc acatgttctt tcctgcgtta 2160 tcccctgatt ctgtggataa ccgtattacc gcctttgagt gagctgatac cgctcgccgc 2220 agccgaacga ccgagcgcag cgagtcagtg agcgaggaag cggaagagcg cctgatgcgg 2280 tattttctcc ttacgcatct gtgcggtatt tcacaccgca tatatggtgc actctcagta 2340 caatctgctc tgatgccgca tagttaagcc agtatacact ccgctatcgc tacgtgactg 2400 ggtcatggct gcgccccgac acccgccaac acccgctgac gcgccctgac gggcttgtct 2460 gctcccggca tccgcttaca gacaagctgt gaccgtctcc gggagctgca tgtgtcagag 2520 gttttcaccg tcatcaccga aacgcgcgag gcagctgcgg taaagctcat cagcgtggtc 2580 gtgaagcgat tcacagatgt ctgcctgttc atccgcgtcc agctcgttga gtttctccag 2640 aagcgttaat gtctggcttc tgataaagcg ggccatgtta agggcggttt tttcctgttt 2700 ggtcactgat gcctccgtgt aagggggatt tctgttcatg ggggtaatga taccgatgaa 2760 acgagagagg atgctcacga tacgggttac tgatgatgaa catgcccggt tactggaacg 2820 ttgtgagggt aaacaactgg cggtatggat gcggcgggac cagagaaaaa tcactcaggg 2880 tcaatgccag cgcttcgtta atacagatgt aggtgttcca cagggtagcc agcagcatcc 2940 tgcgatgcag atccggaaca taatggtgca gggcgctgac ttccgcgttt ccagacttta 3000 cgaaacacgg aaaccgaaga ccattcatgt tgttgctcag gtcgcagacg ttttgcagca 3060 gcagtcgctt cacgttcgct cgcgtatcgg tgattcattc tgctaaccag taaggcaacc 3120 ccgccagcct agccgggtcc tcaacgacag gagcacgatc atgcgcaccc gtggggccgc 3180 catgccggcg ataatggcct gcttctcgcc gaaacgtttg gtggcgggac cagtgacgaa 3240 ggcttgagcg agggcgtgca agattccgaa taccgcaagc gacaggccga tcatcgtcgc 3300 gctccagcga aagcggtcct cgccgaaaat gacccagagc gctgccggca cctgtcctac 3360 gagttgcatg ataaagaaga cagtcataag tgcggcgacg atagtcatgc cccgcgccca 3420 ccggaaggag ctgactgggt tgaaggctct caagggcatc ggtcgagatc ccggtgccta 3480 atgagtgagc taacttacat taattgcgtt gcgctcactg cccgctttcc agtcgggaaa 3540 cctgtcgtgc cagctgcatt aatgaatcgg ccaacgcgcg gggagaggcg gtttgcgtat 3600 tgggcgccag ggtggttttt cttttcacca gtgagacggg caacagctga ttgcccttca 3660 ccgcctggcc ctgagagagt tgcagcaagc ggtccacgct ggtttgcccc agcaggcgaa 3720 aatcctgttt gatggtggtt aacggcggga tataacatga gctgtcttcg gtatcgtcgt 3780 atcccactac cgagatatcc gcaccaacgc gcagcccgga ctcggtaatg gcgcgcattg 3840 cgcccagcgc catctgatcg ttggcaacca gcatcgcagt gggaacgatg ccctcattca 3900 gcatttgcat ggtttgttga aaaccggaca tggcactcca gtcgccttcc cgttccgcta 3960 tcggctgaat ttgattgcga gtgagatatt tatgccagcc agccagacgc agacgcgccg 4020 agacagaact taatgggccc gctaacagcg cgatttgctg gtgacccaat gcgaccagat 4080 gctccacgcc cagtcgcgta ccgtcttcat gggagaaaat aatactgttg atgggtgtct 4140 ggtcagagac atcaagaaat aacgccggaa cattagtgca ggcagcttcc acagcaatgg 4200 catcctggtc atccagcgga tagttaatga tcagcccact gacgcgttgc gcgagaagat 4260 tgtgcaccgc cgctttacag gcttcgacgc cgcttcgttc taccatcgac accaccacgc 4320 tggcacccag ttgatcggcg cgagatttaa tcgccgcgac aatttgcgac ggcgcgtgca 4380 gggccagact ggaggtggca acgccaatca gcaacgactg tttgcccgcc agttgttgtg 4440 ccacgcggtt gggaatgtaa ttcagctccg ccatcgccgc ttccactttt tcccgcgttt 4500 tcgcagaaac gtggctggcc tggttcacca cgcgggaaac ggtctgataa gagacaccgg 4560 catactctgc gacatcgtat aacgttactg gtttcacatt caccaccctg aattgactct 4620 cttccgggcg ctatcatgcc ataccgcgaa aggttttgcg ccattcgatg gtgtccggga 4680 tctcgacgct ctcccttatg cgactcctgc attaggaagc agcccagtag taggttgagg 4740 ccgttgagca ccgccgccgc aaggaatggt gcatgcaagg agatggcgcc caacagtccc 4800 ccggccacgg ggcctgccac catacccacg ccgaaacaag cgctcatgag cccgaagtgg 4860 cgagcccgat cttccccatc ggtgatgtcg gcgatatagg cgccagcaac cgcacctgtg 4920 gcgccggtga tgccggccac gatgcgtccg gcgtagagga tcgagatctc gatcccgcga 4980 aattaatacg actcactata ggggaattgt gagcggataa caattcccct ctagaaataa 5040 ttttgtttaa ctttaagaag gagatataca t atg ggc cat cat cat cat cat 5092 Met Gly His His His His His 1 5 cac gtg atc gac atc atc ggg acc agc ccc aca tcc tgg gaa cag gcg 5140 His Val Ile Asp Ile Ile Gly Thr Ser Pro Thr Ser Trp Glu Gln Ala 10 15 20 gcg gcg gag gcg gtc cag cgg gcg cgg gat agc gtc gat gac atc cgc 5188 Ala Ala Glu Ala Val Gln Arg Ala Arg Asp Ser Val Asp Asp Ile Arg 25 30 35 gtc gct cgg gtc att gag cag gac atg gcc gtg gac agc gcc ggc aag 5236 Val Ala Arg Val Ile Glu Gln Asp Met Ala Val Asp Ser Ala Gly Lys 40 45 50 55 atc acc tac cgc atc aag ctc gaa gtg tcg ttc aag atg agg ccg gcg 5284 Ile Thr Tyr Arg Ile Lys Leu Glu Val Ser Phe Lys Met Arg Pro Ala 60 65 70 caa ccg agg ggc tcg aaa cca ccg agc ggt tcg cct gaa acg ggc gcc 5332 Gln Pro Arg Gly Ser Lys Pro Pro Ser Gly Ser Pro Glu Thr Gly Ala 75 80 85 ggc gcc ggt act gtc gcg act acc ccc gcg tcg tcg ccg gtg acg ttg 5380 Gly Ala Gly Thr Val Ala Thr Thr Pro Ala Ser Ser Pro Val Thr Leu 90 95 100 gcg gag acc ggt agc acg ctg ctc tac ccg ctg ttc aac ctg tgg ggt 5428 Ala Glu Thr Gly Ser Thr Leu Leu Tyr Pro Leu Phe Asn Leu Trp Gly 105 110 115 ccg gcc ttt cac gag agg tat ccg aac gtc acg atc acc gct cag ggc 5476 Pro Ala Phe His Glu Arg Tyr Pro Asn Val Thr Ile Thr Ala Gln Gly 120 125 130 135 acc ggt tct ggt gcc ggg atc gcg cag gcc gcc gcc ggg acg gtc aac 5524 Thr Gly Ser Gly Ala Gly Ile Ala Gln Ala Ala Ala Gly Thr Val Asn 140 145 150 att ggg gcc tcc gac gcc tat ctg tcg gaa ggt gat atg gcc gcg cac 5572 Ile Gly Ala Ser Asp Ala Tyr Leu Ser Glu Gly Asp Met Ala Ala His 155 160 165 aag ggg ctg atg aac atc gcg cta gcc atc tcc gct cag cag gtc aac 5620 Lys Gly Leu Met Asn Ile Ala Leu Ala Ile Ser Ala Gln Gln Val Asn 170 175 180 tac aac ctg ccc gga gtg agc gag cac ctc aag ctg aac gga aaa gtc 5668 Tyr Asn Leu Pro Gly Val Ser Glu His Leu Lys Leu Asn Gly Lys Val 185 190 195 ctg gcg gcc atg tac cag ggc acc atc aaa acc tgg gac gac ccg cag 5716 Leu Ala Ala Met Tyr Gln Gly Thr Ile Lys Thr Trp Asp Asp Pro Gln 200 205 210 215 atc gct gcg ctc aac ccc ggc gtg aac ctg ccc ggc acc gcg gta gtt 5764 Ile Ala Ala Leu Asn Pro Gly Val Asn Leu Pro Gly Thr Ala Val Val 220 225 230 ccg ctg cac cgc tcc gac ggg tcc ggt gac acc ttc ttg ttc acc cag 5812 Pro Leu His Arg Ser Asp Gly Ser Gly Asp Thr Phe Leu Phe Thr Gln 235 240 245 tac ctg tcc aag caa gat ccc gag ggc tgg ggc aag tcg ccc ggc ttc 5860 Tyr Leu Ser Lys Gln Asp Pro Glu Gly Trp Gly Lys Ser Pro Gly Phe 250 255 260 ggc acc acc gtc gac ttc ccg gcg gtg ccg ggt gcg ctg ggt gag aac 5908 Gly Thr Thr Val Asp Phe Pro Ala Val Pro Gly Ala Leu Gly Glu Asn 265 270 275 ggc aac ggc ggc atg gtg acc ggt tgc gcc gag aca ccg ggc tgc gtg 5956 Gly Asn Gly Gly Met Val Thr Gly Cys Ala Glu Thr Pro Gly Cys Val 280 285 290 295 gcc tat atc ggc atc agc ttc ctc gac cag gcc agt caa cgg gga ctc 6004 Ala Tyr Ile Gly Ile Ser Phe Leu Asp Gln Ala Ser Gln Arg Gly Leu 300 305 310 ggc gag gcc caa cta ggc aat agc tct ggc aat ttc ttg ttg ccc gac 6052 Gly Glu Ala Gln Leu Gly Asn Ser Ser Gly Asn Phe Leu Leu Pro Asp 315 320 325 gcg caa agc att cag gcc gcg gcg gct ggc ttc gca tcg aaa acc ccg 6100 Ala Gln Ser Ile Gln Ala Ala Ala Ala Gly Phe Ala Ser Lys Thr Pro 330 335 340 gcg aac cag gcg att tcg atg atc gac ggg ccc gcc ccg gac ggc tac 6148 Ala Asn Gln Ala Ile Ser Met Ile Asp Gly Pro Ala Pro Asp Gly Tyr 345 350 355 ccg atc atc aac tac gag tac gcc atc gtc aac aac cgg caa aag gac 6196 Pro Ile Ile Asn Tyr Glu Tyr Ala Ile Val Asn Asn Arg Gln Lys Asp 360 365 370 375 gcc gcc acc gcg cag acc ttg cag gca ttt ctg cac tgg gcg atc acc 6244 Ala Ala Thr Ala Gln Thr Leu Gln Ala Phe Leu His Trp Ala Ile Thr 380 385 390 gac ggc aac aag gcc tcg ttc ctc gac cag gtt cat ttc cag ccg ctg 6292 Asp Gly Asn Lys Ala Ser Phe Leu Asp Gln Val His Phe Gln Pro Leu 395 400 405 ccg ccc gcg gtg gtg aag ttg tct gac gcg ttg atc gcg acg att tcc 6340 Pro Pro Ala Val Val Lys Leu Ser Asp Ala Leu Ile Ala Thr Ile Ser 410 415 420 agc gct gag atg aag acc gat gcc gct acc ctc gcg cag gag gca ggt 6388 Ser Ala Glu Met Lys Thr Asp Ala Ala Thr Leu Ala Gln Glu Ala Gly 425 430 435 aat ttc gag cgg atc tcc ggc gac ctg aaa acc cag atc gac cag gtg 6436 Asn Phe Glu Arg Ile Ser Gly Asp Leu Lys Thr Gln Ile Asp Gln Val 440 445 450 455 gag tcg acg gca ggt tcg ttg cag ggc cag tgg cgc ggc gcg gcg ggg 6484 Glu Ser Thr Ala Gly Ser Leu Gln Gly Gln Trp Arg Gly Ala Ala Gly 460 465 470 acg gcc gcc cag gcc gcg gtg gtg cgc ttc caa gaa gca gcc aat aag 6532 Thr Ala Ala Gln Ala Ala Val Val Arg Phe Gln Glu Ala Ala Asn Lys 475 480 485 cag aag cag gaa ctc gac gag atc tcg acg aat att cgt cag gcc ggc 6580 Gln Lys Gln Glu Leu Asp Glu Ile Ser Thr Asn Ile Arg Gln Ala Gly 490 495 500 gtc caa tac tcg agg gcc gac gag gag cag cag cag gcg ctg tcc tcg 6628 Val Gln Tyr Ser Arg Ala Asp Glu Glu Gln Gln Gln Ala Leu Ser Ser 505 510 515 caa atg ggc ttt gtg ccc aca acg gcc gcc tcg ccg ccg tcg acc gct 6676 Gln Met Gly Phe Val Pro Thr Thr Ala Ala Ser Pro Pro Ser Thr Ala 520 525 530 535 gca gcg cca ccc gca ccg gcg aca cct gtt gcc ccc cca cca ccg gcc 6724 Ala Ala Pro Pro Ala Pro Ala Thr Pro Val Ala Pro Pro Pro Pro Ala 540 545 550 gcc gcc aac acg ccg aat gcc cag ccg ggc gat ccc aac gca gca cct 6772 Ala Ala Asn Thr Pro Asn Ala Gln Pro Gly Asp Pro Asn Ala Ala Pro 555 560 565 ccg ccg gcc gac ccg aac gca ccg ccg cca cct gtc att gcc cca aac 6820 Pro Pro Ala Asp Pro Asn Ala Pro Pro Pro Pro Val Ile Ala Pro Asn 570 575 580 gca ccc caa cct gtc cgg atc gac aac ccg gtt gga gga ttc agc ttc 6868 Ala Pro Gln Pro Val Arg Ile Asp Asn Pro Val Gly Gly Phe Ser Phe 585 590 595 gcg ctg cct gct ggc tgg gtg gag tct gac gcc gcc cac ttc gac tac 6916 Ala Leu Pro Ala Gly Trp Val Glu Ser Asp Ala Ala His Phe Asp Tyr 600 605 610 615 ggt tca gca ctc ctc agc aaa acc acc ggg gac ccg cca ttt ccc gga 6964 Gly Ser Ala Leu Leu Ser Lys Thr Thr Gly Asp Pro Pro Phe Pro Gly 620 625 630 cag ccg ccg ccg gtg gcc aat gac acc cgt atc gtg ctc ggc cgg cta 7012 Gln Pro Pro Pro Val Ala Asn Asp Thr Arg Ile Val Leu Gly Arg Leu 635 640 645 gac caa aag ctt tac gcc agc gcc gaa gcc acc gac tcc aag gcc gcg 7060 Asp Gln Lys Leu Tyr Ala Ser Ala Glu Ala Thr Asp Ser Lys Ala Ala 650 655 660 gcc cgg ttg ggc tcg gac atg ggt gag ttc tat atg ccc tac ccg ggc 7108 Ala Arg Leu Gly Ser Asp Met Gly Glu Phe Tyr Met Pro Tyr Pro Gly 665 670 675 acc cgg atc aac cag gaa acc gtc tcg ctt gac gcc aac ggg gtg tct 7156 Thr Arg Ile Asn Gln Glu Thr Val Ser Leu Asp Ala Asn Gly Val Ser 680 685 690 695 gga agc gcg tcg tat tac gaa gtc aag ttc agc gat ccg agt aag ccg 7204 Gly Ser Ala Ser Tyr Tyr Glu Val Lys Phe Ser Asp Pro Ser Lys Pro 700 705 710 aac ggc cag atc tgg acg ggc gta atc ggc tcg ccc gcg gcg aac gca 7252 Asn Gly Gln Ile Trp Thr Gly Val Ile Gly Ser Pro Ala Ala Asn Ala 715 720 725 ccg gac gcc ggg ccc cct cag cgc tgg ttt gtg gta tgg ctc ggg acc 7300 Pro Asp Ala Gly Pro Pro Gln Arg Trp Phe Val Val Trp Leu Gly Thr 730 735 740 gcc aac aac ccg gtg gac aag ggc gcg gcc aag gcg ctg gcc gaa tcg 7348 Ala Asn Asn Pro Val Asp Lys Gly Ala Ala Lys Ala Leu Ala Glu Ser 745 750 755 atc cgg cct ttg gtc gcc ccg ccg ccg gcg ccg gca ccg gct cct gca 7396 Ile Arg Pro Leu Val Ala Pro Pro Pro Ala Pro Ala Pro Ala Pro Ala 760 765 770 775 gag ccc gct ccg gcg ccg gcg ccg gcc ggg gaa gtc gct cct acc ccg 7444 Glu Pro Ala Pro Ala Pro Ala Pro Ala Gly Glu Val Ala Pro Thr Pro 780 785 790 acg aca ccg aca ccg cag cgg acc tta ccg gcc tgagaattct gcagatatcc 7497 Thr Thr Pro Thr Pro Gln Arg Thr Leu Pro Ala 795 800 atcacactgg cggccgctcg agcaccacca ccaccaccac tgagatccgg ctgctaacaa 7557 agcccgaaag gaagctgagt tggctgctgc caccgctgag caataactag cataacccct 7617 tggggcctct aaacgggtct tgaggggttt tttgctgaaa ggaggaacta tatccggat 7676 10 802 PRT Artificial Sequence Description of Artificial Sequencetetra-fusion 10 Met Gly His His His His His His Val Ile Asp Ile Ile Gly Thr Ser 1 5 10 15 Pro Thr Ser Trp Glu Gln Ala Ala Ala Glu Ala Val Gln Arg Ala Arg 20 25 30 Asp Ser Val Asp Asp Ile Arg Val Ala Arg Val Ile Glu Gln Asp Met 35 40 45 Ala Val Asp Ser Ala Gly Lys Ile Thr Tyr Arg Ile Lys Leu Glu Val 50 55 60 Ser Phe Lys Met Arg Pro Ala Gln Pro Arg Gly Ser Lys Pro Pro Ser 65 70 75 80 Gly Ser Pro Glu Thr Gly Ala Gly Ala Gly Thr Val Ala Thr Thr Pro 85 90 95 Ala Ser Ser Pro Val Thr Leu Ala Glu Thr Gly Ser Thr Leu Leu Tyr 100 105 110 Pro Leu Phe Asn Leu Trp Gly Pro Ala Phe His Glu Arg Tyr Pro Asn 115 120 125 Val Thr Ile Thr Ala Gln Gly Thr Gly Ser Gly Ala Gly Ile Ala Gln 130 135 140 Ala Ala Ala Gly Thr Val Asn Ile Gly Ala Ser Asp Ala Tyr Leu Ser 145 150 155 160 Glu Gly Asp Met Ala Ala His Lys Gly Leu Met Asn Ile Ala Leu Ala 165 170 175 Ile Ser Ala Gln Gln Val Asn Tyr Asn Leu Pro Gly Val Ser Glu His 180 185 190 Leu Lys Leu Asn Gly Lys Val Leu Ala Ala Met Tyr Gln Gly Thr Ile 195 200 205 Lys Thr Trp Asp Asp Pro Gln Ile Ala Ala Leu Asn Pro Gly Val Asn 210 215 220 Leu Pro Gly Thr Ala Val Val Pro Leu His Arg Ser Asp Gly Ser Gly 225 230 235 240 Asp Thr Phe Leu Phe Thr Gln Tyr Leu Ser Lys Gln Asp Pro Glu Gly 245 250 255 Trp Gly Lys Ser Pro Gly Phe Gly Thr Thr Val Asp Phe Pro Ala Val 260 265 270 Pro Gly Ala Leu Gly Glu Asn Gly Asn Gly Gly Met Val Thr Gly Cys 275 280 285 Ala Glu Thr Pro Gly Cys Val Ala Tyr Ile Gly Ile Ser Phe Leu Asp 290 295 300 Gln Ala Ser Gln Arg Gly Leu Gly Glu Ala Gln Leu Gly Asn Ser Ser 305 310 315 320 Gly Asn Phe Leu Leu Pro Asp Ala Gln Ser Ile Gln Ala Ala Ala Ala 325 330 335 Gly Phe Ala Ser Lys Thr Pro Ala Asn Gln Ala Ile Ser Met Ile Asp 340 345 350 Gly Pro Ala Pro Asp Gly Tyr Pro Ile Ile Asn Tyr Glu Tyr Ala Ile 355 360 365 Val Asn Asn Arg Gln Lys Asp Ala Ala Thr Ala Gln Thr Leu Gln Ala 370 375 380 Phe Leu His Trp Ala Ile Thr Asp Gly Asn Lys Ala Ser Phe Leu Asp 385 390 395 400 Gln Val His Phe Gln Pro Leu Pro Pro Ala Val Val Lys Leu Ser Asp 405 410 415 Ala Leu Ile Ala Thr Ile Ser Ser Ala Glu Met Lys Thr Asp Ala Ala 420 425 430 Thr Leu Ala Gln Glu Ala Gly Asn Phe Glu Arg Ile Ser Gly Asp Leu 435 440 445 Lys Thr Gln Ile Asp Gln Val Glu Ser Thr Ala Gly Ser Leu Gln Gly 450 455 460 Gln Trp Arg Gly Ala Ala Gly Thr Ala Ala Gln Ala Ala Val Val Arg 465 470 475 480 Phe Gln Glu Ala Ala Asn Lys Gln Lys Gln Glu Leu Asp Glu Ile Ser 485 490 495 Thr Asn Ile Arg Gln Ala Gly Val Gln Tyr Ser Arg Ala Asp Glu Glu 500 505 510 Gln Gln Gln Ala Leu Ser Ser Gln Met Gly Phe Val Pro Thr Thr Ala 515 520 525 Ala Ser Pro Pro Ser Thr Ala Ala Ala Pro Pro Ala Pro Ala Thr Pro 530 535 540 Val Ala Pro Pro Pro Pro Ala Ala Ala Asn Thr Pro Asn Ala Gln Pro 545 550 555 560 Gly Asp Pro Asn Ala Ala Pro Pro Pro Ala Asp Pro Asn Ala Pro Pro 565 570 575 Pro Pro Val Ile Ala Pro Asn Ala Pro Gln Pro Val Arg Ile Asp Asn 580 585 590 Pro Val Gly Gly Phe Ser Phe Ala Leu Pro Ala Gly Trp Val Glu Ser 595 600 605 Asp Ala Ala His Phe Asp Tyr Gly Ser Ala Leu Leu Ser Lys Thr Thr 610 615 620 Gly Asp Pro Pro Phe Pro Gly Gln Pro Pro Pro Val Ala Asn Asp Thr 625 630 635 640 Arg Ile Val Leu Gly Arg Leu Asp Gln Lys Leu Tyr Ala Ser Ala Glu 645 650 655 Ala Thr Asp Ser Lys Ala Ala Ala Arg Leu Gly Ser Asp Met Gly Glu 660 665 670 Phe Tyr Met Pro Tyr Pro Gly Thr Arg Ile Asn Gln Glu Thr Val Ser 675 680 685 Leu Asp Ala Asn Gly Val Ser Gly Ser Ala Ser Tyr Tyr Glu Val Lys 690 695 700 Phe Ser Asp Pro Ser Lys Pro Asn Gly Gln Ile Trp Thr Gly Val Ile 705 710 715 720 Gly Ser Pro Ala Ala Asn Ala Pro Asp Ala Gly Pro Pro Gln Arg Trp 725 730 735 Phe Val Val Trp Leu Gly Thr Ala Asn Asn Pro Val Asp Lys Gly Ala 740 745 750 Ala Lys Ala Leu Ala Glu Ser Ile Arg Pro Leu Val Ala Pro Pro Pro 755 760 765 Ala Pro Ala Pro Ala Pro Ala Glu Pro Ala Pro Ala Pro Ala Pro Ala 770 775 780 Gly Glu Val Ala Pro Thr Pro Thr Thr Pro Thr Pro Gln Arg Thr Leu 785 790 795 800 Pro Ala 11 2577 DNA Artificial Sequence Description of Artificial Sequencepenta-fusion protein Erd14-DPV-MTI-MSL-MTCC2 (designated Mtb88f) 11 cat atg cat cac cat cac cat cac atg gcc acc acc ctt ccc gtt cag 48 His Met His His His His His His Met Ala Thr Thr Leu Pro Val Gln 1 5 10 15 cgc cac ccg cgg tcc ctc ttc ccc gag ttt tct gag ctg ttc gcg gcc 96 Arg His Pro Arg Ser Leu Phe Pro Glu Phe Ser Glu Leu Phe Ala Ala 20 25 30 ttc ccg tca ttc gcc gga ctc cgg ccc acc ttc gac acc cgg ttg atg 144 Phe Pro Ser Phe Ala Gly Leu Arg Pro Thr Phe Asp Thr Arg Leu Met 35 40 45 cgg ctg gaa gac gag atg aaa gag ggg cgc tac gag gta cgc gcg gag 192 Arg Leu Glu Asp Glu Met Lys Glu Gly Arg Tyr Glu Val Arg Ala Glu 50 55 60 ctt ccc ggg gtc gac ccc gac aag gac gtc gac att atg gtc cgc gat 240 Leu Pro Gly Val Asp Pro Asp Lys Asp Val Asp Ile Met Val Arg Asp 65 70 75 80 ggt cag ctg acc atc aag gcc gag cgc acc gag cag aag gac ttc gac 288 Gly Gln Leu Thr Ile Lys Ala Glu Arg Thr Glu Gln Lys Asp Phe Asp 85 90 95 ggt cgc tcg gaa ttc gcg tac ggt tcc ttc gtt cgc acg gtg tcg ctg 336 Gly Arg Ser Glu Phe Ala Tyr Gly Ser Phe Val Arg Thr Val Ser Leu 100 105 110 ccg gta ggt gct gac gag gac gac att aag gcc acc tac gac aag ggc 384 Pro Val Gly Ala Asp Glu Asp Asp Ile Lys Ala Thr Tyr Asp Lys Gly 115 120 125 att ctt act gtg tcg gtg gcg gtt tcg gaa ggg aag cca acc gaa aag 432 Ile Leu Thr Val Ser Val Ala Val Ser Glu Gly Lys Pro Thr Glu Lys 130 135 140 cac att cag atc cgg tcc acc aac aag ctt gat ccc gtg gac gcg gtc 480 His Ile Gln Ile Arg Ser Thr Asn Lys Leu Asp Pro Val Asp Ala Val 145 150 155 160 att aac acc acc tgc aat tac ggg cag gta gta gct gcg ctc aac gcg 528 Ile Asn Thr Thr Cys Asn Tyr Gly Gln Val Val Ala Ala Leu Asn Ala 165 170 175 acg gat ccg ggg gct gcc gca cag ttc aac gcc tca ccg gtg gcg cag 576 Thr Asp Pro Gly Ala Ala Ala Gln Phe Asn Ala Ser Pro Val Ala Gln 180 185 190 tcc tat ttg cgc aat ttc ctc gcc gca ccg cca cct cag cgc gct gcc 624 Ser Tyr Leu Arg Asn Phe Leu Ala Ala Pro Pro Pro Gln Arg Ala Ala 195 200 205 atg gcc gcg caa ttg caa gct gtg ccg ggg gcg gca cag tac atc ggc 672 Met Ala Ala Gln Leu Gln Ala Val Pro Gly Ala Ala Gln Tyr Ile Gly 210 215 220 ctt gtc gag tcg gtt gcc ggc tcc tgc aac aac tat gag ctc atg acg 720 Leu Val Glu Ser Val Ala Gly Ser Cys Asn Asn Tyr Glu Leu Met Thr 225 230 235 240 att aat tac cag ttc ggg gac gtc gac gct cat ggc gcc atg atc cgc 768 Ile Asn Tyr Gln Phe Gly Asp Val Asp Ala His Gly Ala Met Ile Arg 245 250 255 gct cag gcg gcg tcg ctt gag gcg gag cat cag gcc atc gtt cgt gat 816 Ala Gln Ala Ala Ser Leu Glu Ala Glu His Gln Ala Ile Val Arg Asp 260 265 270 gtg ttg gcc gcg ggt gac ttt tgg ggc ggc gcc ggt tcg gtg gct tgc 864 Val Leu Ala Ala Gly Asp Phe Trp Gly Gly Ala Gly Ser Val Ala Cys 275 280 285 cag gag ttc att acc cag ttg ggc cgt aac ttc cag gtg atc tac gag 912 Gln Glu Phe Ile Thr Gln Leu Gly Arg Asn Phe Gln Val Ile Tyr Glu 290 295 300 cag gcc aac gcc cac ggg cag aag gtg cag gct gcc ggc aac aac atg 960 Gln Ala Asn Ala His Gly Gln Lys Val Gln Ala Ala Gly Asn Asn Met 305 310 315 320 gcg caa acc gac agc gcc gtc ggc tcc agc tgg gcc act agt atg agc 1008 Ala Gln Thr Asp Ser Ala Val Gly Ser Ser Trp Ala Thr Ser Met Ser 325 330 335 ctt ttg gat gct cat atc cca cag ttg gtg gcc tcc cag tcg gcg ttt 1056 Leu Leu Asp Ala His Ile Pro Gln Leu Val Ala Ser Gln Ser Ala Phe 340 345 350 gcc gcc aag gcg ggg ctg atg cgg cac acg atc ggt cag gcc gag cag 1104 Ala Ala Lys Ala Gly Leu Met Arg His Thr Ile Gly Gln Ala Glu Gln 355 360 365 gcg gcg atg tcg gct cag gcg ttt cac cag ggg gag tcg tcg gcg gcg 1152 Ala Ala Met Ser Ala Gln Ala Phe His Gln Gly Glu Ser Ser Ala Ala 370 375 380 ttt cag gcc gcc cat gcc cgg ttt gtg gcg gcg gcc gcc aaa gtc aac 1200 Phe Gln Ala Ala His Ala Arg Phe Val Ala Ala Ala Ala Lys Val Asn 385 390 395 400 acc ttg ttg gat gtc gcg cag gcg aat ctg ggt gag gcc gcc ggt acc 1248 Thr Leu Leu Asp Val Ala Gln Ala Asn Leu Gly Glu Ala Ala Gly Thr 405 410 415 tat gtg gcc gcc gat gct gcg gcc gcg tcg acc tat acc ggg ttc gat 1296 Tyr Val Ala Ala Asp Ala Ala Ala Ala Ser Thr Tyr Thr Gly Phe Asp 420 425 430 atc atg gat ttc ggg ctt tta cct ccg gaa gtg aat tca agc cga atg 1344 Ile Met Asp Phe Gly Leu Leu Pro Pro Glu Val Asn Ser Ser Arg Met 435 440 445 tat tcc ggt ccg ggg ccg gag tcg atg cta gcc gcc gcg gcc gcc tgg 1392 Tyr Ser Gly Pro Gly Pro Glu Ser Met Leu Ala Ala Ala Ala Ala Trp 450 455 460 gac ggt gtg gcc gcg gag ttg act tcc gcc gcg gtc tcg tat gga tcg 1440 Asp Gly Val Ala Ala Glu Leu Thr Ser Ala Ala Val Ser Tyr Gly Ser 465 470 475 480 gtg gtg tcg acg ctg atc gtt gag ccg tgg atg ggg ccg gcg gcg gcc 1488 Val Val Ser Thr Leu Ile Val Glu Pro Trp Met Gly Pro Ala Ala Ala 485 490 495 gcg atg gcg gcc gcg gca acg ccg tat gtg ggg tgg ctg gcc gcc acg 1536 Ala Met Ala Ala Ala Ala Thr Pro Tyr Val Gly Trp Leu Ala Ala Thr 500 505 510 gcg gcg ctg gcg aag gag acg gcc aca cag gcg agg gca gcg gcg gaa 1584 Ala Ala Leu Ala Lys Glu Thr Ala Thr Gln Ala Arg Ala Ala Ala Glu 515 520 525 gcg ttt ggg acg gcg ttc gcg atg acg gtg cca cca tcc ctc gtc gcg 1632 Ala Phe Gly Thr Ala Phe Ala Met Thr Val Pro Pro Ser Leu Val Ala 530 535 540 gcc aac cgc agc cgg ttg atg tcg ctg gtc gcg gcg aac att ctg ggg 1680 Ala Asn Arg Ser Arg Leu Met Ser Leu Val Ala Ala Asn Ile Leu Gly 545 550 555 560 caa aac agt gcg gcg atc gcg gct acc cag gcc gag tat gcc gaa atg 1728 Gln Asn Ser Ala Ala Ile Ala Ala Thr Gln Ala Glu Tyr Ala Glu Met 565 570 575 tgg gcc caa gac gct gcc gtg atg tac agc tat gag ggg gca tct gcg 1776 Trp Ala Gln Asp Ala Ala Val Met Tyr Ser Tyr Glu Gly Ala Ser Ala 580 585 590 gcc gcg tcg gcg ttg ccg ccg ttc act cca ccc gtg caa ggc acc ggc 1824 Ala Ala Ser Ala Leu Pro Pro Phe Thr Pro Pro Val Gln Gly Thr Gly 595 600 605 ccg gcc ggg ccc gcg gcc gca gcc gcg gcg acc caa gcc gcc ggt gcg 1872 Pro Ala Gly Pro Ala Ala Ala Ala Ala Ala Thr Gln Ala Ala Gly Ala 610 615 620 ggc gcc gtt gcg gat gca cag gcg aca ctg gcc cag ctg ccc ccg ggg 1920 Gly Ala Val Ala Asp Ala Gln Ala Thr Leu Ala Gln Leu Pro Pro Gly 625 630 635 640 atc ctg agc gac att ctg tcc gca ttg gcc gcc aac gct gat ccg ctg 1968 Ile Leu Ser Asp Ile Leu Ser Ala Leu Ala Ala Asn Ala Asp Pro Leu 645 650 655 aca tcg gga ctg ttg ggg atc gcg tcg acc ctc aac ccg caa gtc gga 2016 Thr Ser Gly Leu Leu Gly Ile Ala Ser Thr Leu Asn Pro Gln Val Gly 660 665 670 tcc gct cag ccg ata gtg atc ccc acc ccg ata ggg gaa ttg gac gtg 2064 Ser Ala Gln Pro Ile Val Ile Pro Thr Pro Ile Gly Glu Leu Asp Val 675 680 685 atc gcg ctc tac att gca tcc atc gcg acc ggc agc att gcg ctc gcg 2112 Ile Ala Leu Tyr Ile Ala Ser Ile Ala Thr Gly Ser Ile Ala Leu Ala 690 695 700 atc acg aac acg gcc aga ccc tgg cac atc ggc cta tac ggg aac gcc 2160 Ile Thr Asn Thr Ala Arg Pro Trp His Ile Gly Leu Tyr Gly Asn Ala 705 710 715 720 ggc ggg ctg gga ccg acg cag ggc cat cca ctg agt tcg gcg acc gac 2208 Gly Gly Leu Gly Pro Thr Gln Gly His Pro Leu Ser Ser Ala Thr Asp 725 730 735 gag ccg gag ccg cac tgg ggc ccc ttc ggg ggc gcg gcg ccg gtg tcc 2256 Glu Pro Glu Pro His Trp Gly Pro Phe Gly Gly Ala Ala Pro Val Ser 740 745 750 gcg ggc gtc ggc cac gca gca tta gtc gga gcg ttg tcg gtg ccg cac 2304 Ala Gly Val Gly His Ala Ala Leu Val Gly Ala Leu Ser Val Pro His 755 760 765 agc tgg acc acg gcc gcc ccg gag atc cag ctc gcc gtt cag gca aca 2352 Ser Trp Thr Thr Ala Ala Pro Glu Ile Gln Leu Ala Val Gln Ala Thr 770 775 780 ccc acc ttc agc tcc agc gcc ggc gcc gac ccg acg gcc cta aac ggg 2400 Pro Thr Phe Ser Ser Ser Ala Gly Ala Asp Pro Thr Ala Leu Asn Gly 785 790 795 800 atg ccg gca ggc ctg ctc agc ggg atg gct ttg gcg agc ctg gcc gca 2448 Met Pro Ala Gly Leu Leu Ser Gly Met Ala Leu Ala Ser Leu Ala Ala 805 810 815 cgc ggc acg acg ggc ggt ggc ggc acc cgt agc ggc acc agc act gac 2496 Arg Gly Thr Thr Gly Gly Gly Gly Thr Arg Ser Gly Thr Ser Thr Asp 820 825 830 ggc caa gag gac ggc cgc aaa ccc ccg gta gtt gtg att aga gag cag 2544 Gly Gln Glu Asp Gly Arg Lys Pro Pro Val Val Val Ile Arg Glu Gln 835 840 845 ccg ccg ccc gga aac ccc ccg cgg taagatatc 2577 Pro Pro Pro Gly Asn Pro Pro Arg 850 855 12 856 PRT Artificial Sequence Description of Artificial Sequencepenta-fusion 12 His Met His His His His His His Met Ala Thr Thr Leu Pro Val Gln 1 5 10 15 Arg His Pro Arg Ser Leu Phe Pro Glu Phe Ser Glu Leu Phe Ala Ala 20 25 30 Phe Pro Ser Phe Ala Gly Leu Arg Pro Thr Phe Asp Thr Arg Leu Met 35 40 45 Arg Leu Glu Asp Glu Met Lys Glu Gly Arg Tyr Glu Val Arg Ala Glu 50 55 60 Leu Pro Gly Val Asp Pro Asp Lys Asp Val Asp Ile Met Val Arg Asp 65 70 75 80 Gly Gln Leu Thr Ile Lys Ala Glu Arg Thr Glu Gln Lys Asp Phe Asp 85 90 95 Gly Arg Ser Glu Phe Ala Tyr Gly Ser Phe Val Arg Thr Val Ser Leu 100 105 110 Pro Val Gly Ala Asp Glu Asp Asp Ile Lys Ala Thr Tyr Asp Lys Gly 115 120 125 Ile Leu Thr Val Ser Val Ala Val Ser Glu Gly Lys Pro Thr Glu Lys 130 135 140 His Ile Gln Ile Arg Ser Thr Asn Lys Leu Asp Pro Val Asp Ala Val 145 150 155 160 Ile Asn Thr Thr Cys Asn Tyr Gly Gln Val Val Ala Ala Leu Asn Ala 165 170 175 Thr Asp Pro Gly Ala Ala Ala Gln Phe Asn Ala Ser Pro Val Ala Gln 180 185 190 Ser Tyr Leu Arg Asn Phe Leu Ala Ala Pro Pro Pro Gln Arg Ala Ala 195 200 205 Met Ala Ala Gln Leu Gln Ala Val Pro Gly Ala Ala Gln Tyr Ile Gly 210 215 220 Leu Val Glu Ser Val Ala Gly Ser Cys Asn Asn Tyr Glu Leu Met Thr 225 230 235 240 Ile Asn Tyr Gln Phe Gly Asp Val Asp Ala His Gly Ala Met Ile Arg 245 250 255 Ala Gln Ala Ala Ser Leu Glu Ala Glu His Gln Ala Ile Val Arg Asp 260 265 270 Val Leu Ala Ala Gly Asp Phe Trp Gly Gly Ala Gly Ser Val Ala Cys 275 280 285 Gln Glu Phe Ile Thr Gln Leu Gly Arg Asn Phe Gln Val Ile Tyr Glu 290 295 300 Gln Ala Asn Ala His Gly Gln Lys Val Gln Ala Ala Gly Asn Asn Met 305 310 315 320 Ala Gln Thr Asp Ser Ala Val Gly Ser Ser Trp Ala Thr Ser Met Ser 325 330 335 Leu Leu Asp Ala His Ile Pro Gln Leu Val Ala Ser Gln Ser Ala Phe 340 345 350 Ala Ala Lys Ala Gly Leu Met Arg His Thr Ile Gly Gln Ala Glu Gln 355 360 365 Ala Ala Met Ser Ala Gln Ala Phe His Gln Gly Glu Ser Ser Ala Ala 370 375 380 Phe Gln Ala Ala His Ala Arg Phe Val Ala Ala Ala Ala Lys Val Asn 385 390 395 400 Thr Leu Leu Asp Val Ala Gln Ala Asn Leu Gly Glu Ala Ala Gly Thr 405 410 415 Tyr Val Ala Ala Asp Ala Ala Ala Ala Ser Thr Tyr Thr Gly Phe Asp 420 425 430 Ile Met Asp Phe Gly Leu Leu Pro Pro Glu Val Asn Ser Ser Arg Met 435 440 445 Tyr Ser Gly Pro Gly Pro Glu Ser Met Leu Ala Ala Ala Ala Ala Trp 450 455 460 Asp Gly Val Ala Ala Glu Leu Thr Ser Ala Ala Val Ser Tyr Gly Ser 465 470 475 480 Val Val Ser Thr Leu Ile Val Glu Pro Trp Met Gly Pro Ala Ala Ala 485 490 495 Ala Met Ala Ala Ala Ala Thr Pro Tyr Val Gly Trp Leu Ala Ala Thr 500 505 510 Ala Ala Leu Ala Lys Glu Thr Ala Thr Gln Ala Arg Ala Ala Ala Glu 515 520 525 Ala Phe Gly Thr Ala Phe Ala Met Thr Val Pro Pro Ser Leu Val Ala 530 535 540 Ala Asn Arg Ser Arg Leu Met Ser Leu Val Ala Ala Asn Ile Leu Gly 545 550 555 560 Gln Asn Ser Ala Ala Ile Ala Ala Thr Gln Ala Glu Tyr Ala Glu Met 565 570 575 Trp Ala Gln Asp Ala Ala Val Met Tyr Ser Tyr Glu Gly Ala Ser Ala 580 585 590 Ala Ala Ser Ala Leu Pro Pro Phe Thr Pro Pro Val Gln Gly Thr Gly 595 600 605 Pro Ala Gly Pro Ala Ala Ala Ala Ala Ala Thr Gln Ala Ala Gly Ala 610 615 620 Gly Ala Val Ala Asp Ala Gln Ala Thr Leu Ala Gln Leu Pro Pro Gly 625 630 635 640 Ile Leu Ser Asp Ile Leu Ser Ala Leu Ala Ala Asn Ala Asp Pro Leu 645 650 655 Thr Ser Gly Leu Leu Gly Ile Ala Ser Thr Leu Asn Pro Gln Val Gly 660 665 670 Ser Ala Gln Pro Ile Val Ile Pro Thr Pro Ile Gly Glu Leu Asp Val 675 680 685 Ile Ala Leu Tyr Ile Ala Ser Ile Ala Thr Gly Ser Ile Ala Leu Ala 690 695 700 Ile Thr Asn Thr Ala Arg Pro Trp His Ile Gly Leu Tyr Gly Asn Ala 705 710 715 720 Gly Gly Leu Gly Pro Thr Gln Gly His Pro Leu Ser Ser Ala Thr Asp 725 730 735 Glu Pro Glu Pro His Trp Gly Pro Phe Gly Gly Ala Ala Pro Val Ser 740 745 750 Ala Gly Val Gly His Ala Ala Leu Val Gly Ala Leu Ser Val Pro His 755 760 765 Ser Trp Thr Thr Ala Ala Pro Glu Ile Gln Leu Ala Val Gln Ala Thr 770 775 780 Pro Thr Phe Ser Ser Ser Ala Gly Ala Asp Pro Thr Ala Leu Asn Gly 785 790 795 800 Met Pro Ala Gly Leu Leu Ser Gly Met Ala Leu Ala Ser Leu Ala Ala 805 810 815 Arg Gly Thr Thr Gly Gly Gly Gly Thr Arg Ser Gly Thr Ser Thr Asp 820 825 830 Gly Gln Glu Asp Gly Arg Lys Pro Pro Val Val Val Ile Arg Glu Gln 835 840 845 Pro Pro Pro Gly Asn Pro Pro Arg 850 855 13 1299 DNA Artificial Sequence Description of Artificial Sequencetetra-fusion protein Erd14-DPV-MTI-MSL (designated Mtb46f) 13 cat atg cat cac cat cac cat cac atg gcc acc acc ctt ccc gtt cag 48 His Met His His His His His His Met Ala Thr Thr Leu Pro Val Gln 1 5 10 15 cgc cac ccg cgg tcc ctc ttc ccc gag ttt tct gag ctg ttc gcg gcc 96 Arg His Pro Arg Ser Leu Phe Pro Glu Phe Ser Glu Leu Phe Ala Ala 20 25 30 ttc ccg tca ttc gcc gga ctc cgg ccc acc ttc gac acc cgg ttg atg 144 Phe Pro Ser Phe Ala Gly Leu Arg Pro Thr Phe Asp Thr Arg Leu Met 35 40 45 cgg ctg gaa gac gag atg aaa gag ggg cgc tac gag gta cgc gcg gag 192 Arg Leu Glu Asp Glu Met Lys Glu Gly Arg Tyr Glu Val Arg Ala Glu 50 55 60 ctt ccc ggg gtc gac ccc gac aag gac gtc gac att atg gtc cgc gat 240 Leu Pro Gly Val Asp Pro Asp Lys Asp Val Asp Ile Met Val Arg Asp 65 70 75 80 ggt cag ctg acc atc aag gcc gag cgc acc gag cag aag gac ttc gac 288 Gly Gln Leu Thr Ile Lys Ala Glu Arg Thr Glu Gln Lys Asp Phe Asp 85 90 95 ggt cgc tcg gaa ttc gcg tac ggt tcc ttc gtt cgc acg gtg tcg ctg 336 Gly Arg Ser Glu Phe Ala Tyr Gly Ser Phe Val Arg Thr Val Ser Leu 100 105 110 ccg gta ggt gct gac gag gac gac att aag gcc acc tac gac aag ggc 384 Pro Val Gly Ala Asp Glu Asp Asp Ile Lys Ala Thr Tyr Asp Lys Gly 115 120 125 att ctt act gtg tcg gtg gcg gtt tcg gaa ggg aag cca acc gaa aag 432 Ile Leu Thr Val Ser Val Ala Val Ser Glu Gly Lys Pro Thr Glu Lys 130 135 140 cac att cag atc cgg tcc acc aac aag ctt gat ccc gtg gac gcg gtc 480 His Ile Gln Ile Arg Ser Thr Asn Lys Leu Asp Pro Val Asp Ala Val 145 150 155 160 att aac acc acc tgc aat tac ggg cag gta gta gct gcg ctc aac gcg 528 Ile Asn Thr Thr Cys Asn Tyr Gly Gln Val Val Ala Ala Leu Asn Ala 165 170 175 acg gat ccg ggg gct gcc gca cag ttc aac gcc tca ccg gtg gcg cag 576 Thr Asp Pro Gly Ala Ala Ala Gln Phe Asn Ala Ser Pro Val Ala Gln 180 185 190 tcc tat ttg cgc aat ttc ctc gcc gca ccg cca cct cag cgc gct gcc 624 Ser Tyr Leu Arg Asn Phe Leu Ala Ala Pro Pro Pro Gln Arg Ala Ala 195 200 205 atg gcc gcg caa ttg caa gct gtg ccg ggg gcg gca cag tac atc ggc 672 Met Ala Ala Gln Leu Gln Ala Val Pro Gly Ala Ala Gln Tyr Ile Gly 210 215 220 ctt gtc gag tcg gtt gcc ggc tcc tgc aac aac tat gag ctc atg acg 720 Leu Val Glu Ser Val Ala Gly Ser Cys Asn Asn Tyr Glu Leu Met Thr 225 230 235 240 att aat tac cag ttc ggg gac gtc gac gct cat ggc gcc atg atc cgc 768 Ile Asn Tyr Gln Phe Gly Asp Val Asp Ala His Gly Ala Met Ile Arg 245 250 255 gct cag gcg gcg tcg ctt gag gcg gag cat cag gcc atc gtt cgt gat 816 Ala Gln Ala Ala Ser Leu Glu Ala Glu His Gln Ala Ile Val Arg Asp 260 265 270 gtg ttg gcc gcg ggt gac ttt tgg ggc ggc gcc ggt tcg gtg gct tgc 864 Val Leu Ala Ala Gly Asp Phe Trp Gly Gly Ala Gly Ser Val Ala Cys 275 280 285 cag gag ttc att acc cag ttg ggc cgt aac ttc cag gtg atc tac gag 912 Gln Glu Phe Ile Thr Gln Leu Gly Arg Asn Phe Gln Val Ile Tyr Glu 290 295 300 cag gcc aac gcc cac ggg cag aag gtg cag gct gcc ggc aac aac atg 960 Gln Ala Asn Ala His Gly Gln Lys Val Gln Ala Ala Gly Asn Asn Met 305 310 315 320 gcg caa acc gac agc gcc gtc ggc tcc agc tgg gcc act agt atg agc 1008 Ala Gln Thr Asp Ser Ala Val Gly Ser Ser Trp Ala Thr Ser Met Ser 325 330 335 ctt ttg gat gct cat atc cca cag ttg gtg gcc tcc cag tcg gcg ttt 1056 Leu Leu Asp Ala His Ile Pro Gln Leu Val Ala Ser Gln Ser Ala Phe 340 345 350 gcc gcc aag gcg ggg ctg atg cgg cac acg atc ggt cag gcc gag cag 1104 Ala Ala Lys Ala Gly Leu Met Arg His Thr Ile Gly Gln Ala Glu Gln 355 360 365 gcg gcg atg tcg gct cag gcg ttt cac cag ggg gag tcg tcg gcg gcg 1152 Ala Ala Met Ser Ala Gln Ala Phe His Gln Gly Glu Ser Ser Ala Ala 370 375 380 ttt cag gcc gcc cat gcc cgg ttt gtg gcg gcg gcc gcc aaa gtc aac 1200 Phe Gln Ala Ala His Ala Arg Phe Val Ala Ala Ala Ala Lys Val Asn 385 390 395 400 acc ttg ttg gat gtc gcg cag gcg aat ctg ggt gag gcc gcc ggt acc 1248 Thr Leu Leu Asp Val Ala Gln Ala Asn Leu Gly Glu Ala Ala Gly Thr 405 410 415 tat gtg gcc gcc gat gct gcg gcc gcg tcg acc tat acc ggg ttc gat 1296 Tyr Val Ala Ala Asp Ala Ala Ala Ala Ser Thr Tyr Thr Gly Phe Asp 420 425 430 atc 1299 Ile 14 433 PRT Artificial Sequence Description of Artificial Sequencetetra-fusion 14 His Met His His His His His His Met Ala Thr Thr Leu Pro Val Gln 1 5 10 15 Arg His Pro Arg Ser Leu Phe Pro Glu Phe Ser Glu Leu Phe Ala Ala 20 25 30 Phe Pro Ser Phe Ala Gly Leu Arg Pro Thr Phe Asp Thr Arg Leu Met 35 40 45 Arg Leu Glu Asp Glu Met Lys Glu Gly Arg Tyr Glu Val Arg Ala Glu 50 55 60 Leu Pro Gly Val Asp Pro Asp Lys Asp Val Asp Ile Met Val Arg Asp 65 70 75 80 Gly Gln Leu Thr Ile Lys Ala Glu Arg Thr Glu Gln Lys Asp Phe Asp 85 90 95 Gly Arg Ser Glu Phe Ala Tyr Gly Ser Phe Val Arg Thr Val Ser Leu 100 105 110 Pro Val Gly Ala Asp Glu Asp Asp Ile Lys Ala Thr Tyr Asp Lys Gly 115 120 125 Ile Leu Thr Val Ser Val Ala Val Ser Glu Gly Lys Pro Thr Glu Lys 130 135 140 His Ile Gln Ile Arg Ser Thr Asn Lys Leu Asp Pro Val Asp Ala Val 145 150 155 160 Ile Asn Thr Thr Cys Asn Tyr Gly Gln Val Val Ala Ala Leu Asn Ala 165 170 175 Thr Asp Pro Gly Ala Ala Ala Gln Phe Asn Ala Ser Pro Val Ala Gln 180 185 190 Ser Tyr Leu Arg Asn Phe Leu Ala Ala Pro Pro Pro Gln Arg Ala Ala 195 200 205 Met Ala Ala Gln Leu Gln Ala Val Pro Gly Ala Ala Gln Tyr Ile Gly 210 215 220 Leu Val Glu Ser Val Ala Gly Ser Cys Asn Asn Tyr Glu Leu Met Thr 225 230 235 240 Ile Asn Tyr Gln Phe Gly Asp Val Asp Ala His Gly Ala Met Ile Arg 245 250 255 Ala Gln Ala Ala Ser Leu Glu Ala Glu His Gln Ala Ile Val Arg Asp 260 265 270 Val Leu Ala Ala Gly Asp Phe Trp Gly Gly Ala Gly Ser Val Ala Cys 275 280 285 Gln Glu Phe Ile Thr Gln Leu Gly Arg Asn Phe Gln Val Ile Tyr Glu 290 295 300 Gln Ala Asn Ala His Gly Gln Lys Val Gln Ala Ala Gly Asn Asn Met 305 310 315 320 Ala Gln Thr Asp Ser Ala Val Gly Ser Ser Trp Ala Thr Ser Met Ser 325 330 335 Leu Leu Asp Ala His Ile Pro Gln Leu Val Ala Ser Gln Ser Ala Phe 340 345 350 Ala Ala Lys Ala Gly Leu Met Arg His Thr Ile Gly Gln Ala Glu Gln 355 360 365 Ala Ala Met Ser Ala Gln Ala Phe His Gln Gly Glu Ser Ser Ala Ala 370 375 380 Phe Gln Ala Ala His Ala Arg Phe Val Ala Ala Ala Ala Lys Val Asn 385 390 395 400 Thr Leu Leu Asp Val Ala Gln Ala Asn Leu Gly Glu Ala Ala Gly Thr 405 410 415 Tyr Val Ala Ala Asp Ala Ala Ala Ala Ser Thr Tyr Thr Gly Phe Asp 420 425 430 Ile 15 2168 DNA Artificial Sequence Description of Artificial Sequencetetra-fusion protein DPV-MTI-MSL-MTCC2 (designated Mtb71f) 15 cat atg cat cac cat cac cat cac gat ccc gtg gac gcg gtc att aac 48 His Met His His His His His His Asp Pro Val Asp Ala Val Ile Asn 1 5 10 15 acc acc tgc aat tac ggg cag gta gta gct gcg ctc aac gcg acg gat 96 Thr Thr Cys Asn Tyr Gly Gln Val Val Ala Ala Leu Asn Ala Thr Asp 20 25 30 ccg ggg gct gcc gca cag ttc aac gcc tca ccg gtg gcg cag tcc tat 144 Pro Gly Ala Ala Ala Gln Phe Asn Ala Ser Pro Val Ala Gln Ser Tyr 35 40 45 ttg cgc aat ttc ctc gcc gca ccg cca cct cag cgc gct gcc atg gcc 192 Leu Arg Asn Phe Leu Ala Ala Pro Pro Pro Gln Arg Ala Ala Met Ala 50 55 60 gcg caa ttg caa gct gtg ccg ggg gcg gca cag tac atc ggc ctt gtc 240 Ala Gln Leu Gln Ala Val Pro Gly Ala Ala Gln Tyr Ile Gly Leu Val 65 70 75 80 gag tcg gtt gcc ggc tcc tgc aac aac tat gag ctc atg acg att aat 288 Glu Ser Val Ala Gly Ser Cys Asn Asn Tyr Glu Leu Met Thr Ile Asn 85 90 95 tac cag ttc ggg gac gtc gac gct cat ggc gcc atg atc cgc gct cag 336 Tyr Gln Phe Gly Asp Val Asp Ala His Gly Ala Met Ile Arg Ala Gln 100 105 110 gcg gcg tcg ctt gag gcg gag cat cag gcc atc gtt cgt gat gtg ttg 384 Ala Ala Ser Leu Glu Ala Glu His Gln Ala Ile Val Arg Asp Val Leu 115 120 125 gcc gcg ggt gac ttt tgg ggc ggc gcc ggt tcg gtg gct tgc cag gag 432 Ala Ala Gly Asp Phe Trp Gly Gly Ala Gly Ser Val Ala Cys Gln Glu 130 135 140 ttc att acc cag ttg ggc cgt aac ttc cag gtg atc tac gag cag gcc 480 Phe Ile Thr Gln Leu Gly Arg Asn Phe Gln Val Ile Tyr Glu Gln Ala 145 150 155 160 aac gcc cac ggg cag aag gtg cag gct gcc ggc aac aac atg gcg caa 528 Asn Ala His Gly Gln Lys Val Gln Ala Ala Gly Asn Asn Met Ala Gln 165 170 175 acc gac agc gcc gtc ggc tcc agc tgg gcc act agt atg agc ctt ttg 576 Thr Asp Ser Ala Val Gly Ser Ser Trp Ala Thr Ser Met Ser Leu Leu 180 185 190 gat gct cat atc cca cag ttg gtg gcc tcc cag tcg gcg ttt gcc gcc 624 Asp Ala His Ile Pro Gln Leu Val Ala Ser Gln Ser Ala Phe Ala Ala 195 200 205 aag gcg ggg ctg atg cgg cac acg atc ggt cag gcc gag cag gcg gcg 672 Lys Ala Gly Leu Met Arg His Thr Ile Gly Gln Ala Glu Gln Ala Ala 210 215 220 atg tcg gct cag gcg ttt cac cag ggg gag tcg tcg gcg gcg ttt cag 720 Met Ser Ala Gln Ala Phe His Gln Gly Glu Ser Ser Ala Ala Phe Gln 225 230 235 240 gcc gcc cat gcc cgg ttt gtg gcg gcg gcc gcc aaa gtc aac acc ttg 768 Ala Ala His Ala Arg Phe Val Ala Ala Ala Ala Lys Val Asn Thr Leu 245 250 255 ttg gat gtc gcg cag gcg aat ctg ggt gag gcc gcc ggt acc tat gtg 816 Leu Asp Val Ala Gln Ala Asn Leu Gly Glu Ala Ala Gly Thr Tyr Val 260 265 270 gcc gcc gat gct gcg gcc gcg tcg acc tat acc ggg ttc gat atc atg 864 Ala Ala Asp Ala Ala Ala Ala Ser Thr Tyr Thr Gly Phe Asp Ile Met 275 280 285 gat ttc ggg ctt tta cct ccg gaa gtg aat tca agc cga atg tat tcc 912 Asp Phe Gly Leu Leu Pro Pro Glu Val Asn Ser Ser Arg Met Tyr Ser 290 295 300 ggt ccg ggg ccg gag tcg atg cta gcc gcc gcg gcc gcc tgg gac ggt 960 Gly Pro Gly Pro Glu Ser Met Leu Ala Ala Ala Ala Ala Trp Asp Gly 305 310 315 320 gtg gcc gcg gag ttg act tcc gcc gcg gtc tcg tat gga tcg gtg gtg 1008 Val Ala Ala Glu Leu Thr Ser Ala Ala Val Ser Tyr Gly Ser Val Val 325 330 335 tcg acg ctg atc gtt gag ccg tgg atg ggg ccg gcg gcg gcc gcg atg 1056 Ser Thr Leu Ile Val Glu Pro Trp Met Gly Pro Ala Ala Ala Ala Met 340 345 350 gcg gcc gcg gca acg ccg tat gtg ggg tgg ctg gcc gcc acg gcg gcg 1104 Ala Ala Ala Ala Thr Pro Tyr Val Gly Trp Leu Ala Ala Thr Ala Ala 355 360 365 ctg gcg aag gag acg gcc aca cag gcg agg gca gcg gcg gaa gcg ttt 1152 Leu Ala Lys Glu Thr Ala Thr Gln Ala Arg Ala Ala Ala Glu Ala Phe 370 375 380 ggg acg gcg ttc gcg atg acg gtg cca cca tcc ctc gtc gcg gcc aac 1200 Gly Thr Ala Phe Ala Met Thr Val Pro Pro Ser Leu Val Ala Ala Asn 385 390 395 400 cgc agc cgg ttg atg tcg ctg gtc gcg gcg aac att ctg ggg caa aac 1248 Arg Ser Arg Leu Met Ser Leu Val Ala Ala Asn Ile Leu Gly Gln Asn 405 410 415 agt gcg gcg atc gcg gct acc cag gcc gag tat gcc gaa atg tgg gcc 1296 Ser Ala Ala Ile Ala Ala Thr Gln Ala Glu Tyr Ala Glu Met Trp Ala 420 425 430 caa gac gct gcc gtg atg tac agc tat gag ggg gca tct gcg gcc gcg 1344 Gln Asp Ala Ala Val Met Tyr Ser Tyr Glu Gly Ala Ser Ala Ala Ala 435 440 445 tcg gcg ttg ccg ccg ttc act cca ccc gtg caa ggc acc ggc ccg gcc 1392 Ser Ala Leu Pro Pro Phe Thr Pro Pro Val Gln Gly Thr Gly Pro Ala 450 455 460 ggg ccc gcg gcc gca gcc gcg gcg acc caa gcc gcc ggt gcg ggc gcc 1440 Gly Pro Ala Ala Ala Ala Ala Ala Thr Gln Ala Ala Gly Ala Gly Ala 465 470 475 480 gtt gcg gat gca cag gcg aca ctg gcc cag ctg ccc ccg ggg atc ctg 1488 Val Ala Asp Ala Gln Ala Thr Leu Ala Gln Leu Pro Pro Gly Ile Leu 485 490 495 agc gac att ctg tcc gca ttg gcc gcc aac gct gat ccg ctg aca tcg 1536 Ser Asp Ile Leu Ser Ala Leu Ala Ala Asn Ala Asp Pro Leu Thr Ser 500 505 510 gga ctg ttg ggg atc gcg tcg acc ctc aac ccg caa gtc gga tcc gct 1584 Gly Leu Leu Gly Ile Ala Ser Thr Leu Asn Pro Gln Val Gly Ser Ala 515 520 525 cag ccg ata gtg atc ccc acc ccg ata ggg gaa ttg gac gtg atc gcg 1632 Gln Pro Ile Val Ile Pro Thr Pro Ile Gly Glu Leu Asp Val Ile Ala 530 535 540 ctc tac att gca tcc atc gcg acc ggc agc att gcg ctc gcg atc acg 1680 Leu Tyr Ile Ala Ser Ile Ala Thr Gly Ser Ile Ala Leu Ala Ile Thr 545 550 555 560 aac acg gcc aga ccc tgg cac atc ggc cta tac ggg aac gcc ggc ggg 1728 Asn Thr Ala Arg Pro Trp His Ile Gly Leu Tyr Gly Asn Ala Gly Gly 565 570 575 ctg gga ccg acg cag ggc cat cca ctg agt tcg gcg acc gac gag ccg 1776 Leu Gly Pro Thr Gln Gly His Pro Leu Ser Ser Ala Thr Asp Glu Pro 580 585 590 gag ccg cac tgg ggc ccc ttc ggg ggc gcg gcg ccg gtg tcc gcg ggc 1824 Glu Pro His Trp Gly Pro Phe Gly Gly Ala Ala Pro Val Ser Ala Gly 595 600 605 gtc ggc cac gca gca tta gtc gga gcg ttg tcg gtg ccg cac agc tgg 1872 Val Gly His Ala Ala Leu Val Gly Ala Leu Ser Val Pro His Ser Trp 610 615 620 acc acg gcc gcc ccg gag atc cag ctc gcc gtt cag gca aca ccc acc 1920 Thr Thr Ala Ala Pro Glu Ile Gln Leu Ala Val Gln Ala Thr Pro Thr 625 630 635 640 ttc agc tcc agc gcc ggc gcc gac ccg acg gcc cta aac ggg atg ccg 1968 Phe Ser Ser Ser Ala Gly Ala Asp Pro Thr Ala Leu Asn Gly Met Pro 645 650 655 gca ggc ctg ctc agc ggg atg gct ttg gcg agc ctg gcc gca cgc ggc 2016 Ala Gly Leu Leu Ser Gly Met Ala Leu Ala Ser Leu Ala Ala Arg Gly 660 665 670 acg acg ggc ggt ggc ggc acc cgt agc ggc acc agc act gac ggc caa 2064 Thr Thr Gly Gly Gly Gly Thr Arg Ser Gly Thr Ser Thr Asp Gly Gln 675 680 685 gag gac ggc cgc aaa ccc ccg gta gtt gtg att aga gag cag ccg ccg 2112 Glu Asp Gly Arg Lys Pro Pro Val Val Val Ile Arg Glu Gln Pro Pro 690 695 700 ccc gga aac ccc ccg cgg taagatttct aaatccatca cactggcggc cgctcgag 2168 Pro Gly Asn Pro Pro Arg 705 710 16 710 PRT Artificial Sequence Description of Artificial Sequencetetra-fusion 16 His Met His His His His His His Asp Pro Val Asp Ala Val Ile Asn 1 5 10 15 Thr Thr Cys Asn Tyr Gly Gln Val Val Ala Ala Leu Asn Ala Thr Asp 20 25 30 Pro Gly Ala Ala Ala Gln Phe Asn Ala Ser Pro Val Ala Gln Ser Tyr 35 40 45 Leu Arg Asn Phe Leu Ala Ala Pro Pro Pro Gln Arg Ala Ala Met Ala 50 55 60 Ala Gln Leu Gln Ala Val Pro Gly Ala Ala Gln Tyr Ile Gly Leu Val 65 70 75 80 Glu Ser Val Ala Gly Ser Cys Asn Asn Tyr Glu Leu Met Thr Ile Asn 85 90 95 Tyr Gln Phe Gly Asp Val Asp Ala His Gly Ala Met Ile Arg Ala Gln 100 105 110 Ala Ala Ser Leu Glu Ala Glu His Gln Ala Ile Val Arg Asp Val Leu 115 120 125 Ala Ala Gly Asp Phe Trp Gly Gly Ala Gly Ser Val Ala Cys Gln Glu 130 135 140 Phe Ile Thr Gln Leu Gly Arg Asn Phe Gln Val Ile Tyr Glu Gln Ala 145 150 155 160 Asn Ala His Gly Gln Lys Val Gln Ala Ala Gly Asn Asn Met Ala Gln 165 170 175 Thr Asp Ser Ala Val Gly Ser Ser Trp Ala Thr Ser Met Ser Leu Leu 180 185 190 Asp Ala His Ile Pro Gln Leu Val Ala Ser Gln Ser Ala Phe Ala Ala 195 200 205 Lys Ala Gly Leu Met Arg His Thr Ile Gly Gln Ala Glu Gln Ala Ala 210 215 220 Met Ser Ala Gln Ala Phe His Gln Gly Glu Ser Ser Ala Ala Phe Gln 225 230 235 240 Ala Ala His Ala Arg Phe Val Ala Ala Ala Ala Lys Val Asn Thr Leu 245 250 255 Leu Asp Val Ala Gln Ala Asn Leu Gly Glu Ala Ala Gly Thr Tyr Val 260 265 270 Ala Ala Asp Ala Ala Ala Ala Ser Thr Tyr Thr Gly Phe Asp Ile Met 275 280 285 Asp Phe Gly Leu Leu Pro Pro Glu Val Asn Ser Ser Arg Met Tyr Ser 290 295 300 Gly Pro Gly Pro Glu Ser Met Leu Ala Ala Ala Ala Ala Trp Asp Gly 305 310 315 320 Val Ala Ala Glu Leu Thr Ser Ala Ala Val Ser Tyr Gly Ser Val Val 325 330 335 Ser Thr Leu Ile Val Glu Pro Trp Met Gly Pro Ala Ala Ala Ala Met 340 345 350 Ala Ala Ala Ala Thr Pro Tyr Val Gly Trp Leu Ala Ala Thr Ala Ala 355 360 365 Leu Ala Lys Glu Thr Ala Thr Gln Ala Arg Ala Ala Ala Glu Ala Phe 370 375 380 Gly Thr Ala Phe Ala Met Thr Val Pro Pro Ser Leu Val Ala Ala Asn 385 390 395 400 Arg Ser Arg Leu Met Ser Leu Val Ala Ala Asn Ile Leu Gly Gln Asn 405 410 415 Ser Ala Ala Ile Ala Ala Thr Gln Ala Glu Tyr Ala Glu Met Trp Ala 420 425 430 Gln Asp Ala Ala Val Met Tyr Ser Tyr Glu Gly Ala Ser Ala Ala Ala 435 440 445 Ser Ala Leu Pro Pro Phe Thr Pro Pro Val Gln Gly Thr Gly Pro Ala 450 455 460 Gly Pro Ala Ala Ala Ala Ala Ala Thr Gln Ala Ala Gly Ala Gly Ala 465 470 475 480 Val Ala Asp Ala Gln Ala Thr Leu Ala Gln Leu Pro Pro Gly Ile Leu 485 490 495 Ser Asp Ile Leu Ser Ala Leu Ala Ala Asn Ala Asp Pro Leu Thr Ser 500 505 510 Gly Leu Leu Gly Ile Ala Ser Thr Leu Asn Pro Gln Val Gly Ser Ala 515 520 525 Gln Pro Ile Val Ile Pro Thr Pro Ile Gly Glu Leu Asp Val Ile Ala 530 535 540 Leu Tyr Ile Ala Ser Ile Ala Thr Gly Ser Ile Ala Leu Ala Ile Thr 545 550 555 560 Asn Thr Ala Arg Pro Trp His Ile Gly Leu Tyr Gly Asn Ala Gly Gly 565 570 575 Leu Gly Pro Thr Gln Gly His Pro Leu Ser Ser Ala Thr Asp Glu Pro 580 585 590 Glu Pro His Trp Gly Pro Phe Gly Gly Ala Ala Pro Val Ser Ala Gly 595 600 605 Val Gly His Ala Ala Leu Val Gly Ala Leu Ser Val Pro His Ser Trp 610 615 620 Thr Thr Ala Ala Pro Glu Ile Gln Leu Ala Val Gln Ala Thr Pro Thr 625 630 635 640 Phe Ser Ser Ser Ala Gly Ala Asp Pro Thr Ala Leu Asn Gly Met Pro 645 650 655 Ala Gly Leu Leu Ser Gly Met Ala Leu Ala Ser Leu Ala Ala Arg Gly 660 665 670 Thr Thr Gly Gly Gly Gly Thr Arg Ser Gly Thr Ser Thr Asp Gly Gln 675 680 685 Glu Asp Gly Arg Lys Pro Pro Val Val Val Ile Arg Glu Gln Pro Pro 690 695 700 Pro Gly Asn Pro Pro Arg 705 710 17 9 PRT Artificial Sequence Description of Artificial Sequencepeptide from transcription of pET polylinker and XhoI restriction site at positions 2143-2168 of SEQ ID NO15 17 Ile His His Thr Gly Gly Arg Ser Ser 1 5 18 921 DNA Artificial Sequence Description of Artificial Sequencetri-fusion protein DPV-MTI-MSL (designated Mtb31f) 18 cat atg cat cac cat cac cat cac gat ccc gtg gac gcg gtc att aac 48 His Met His His His His His His Asp Pro Val Asp Ala Val Ile Asn 1 5 10 15 acc acc tgc aat tac ggg cag gta gta gct gcg ctc aac gcg acg gat 96 Thr Thr Cys Asn Tyr Gly Gln Val Val Ala Ala Leu Asn Ala Thr Asp 20 25 30 ccg ggg gct gcc gca cag ttc aac gcc tca ccg gtg gcg cag tcc tat 144 Pro Gly Ala Ala Ala Gln Phe Asn Ala Ser Pro Val Ala Gln Ser Tyr 35 40 45 ttg cgc aat ttc ctc gcc gca ccg cca cct cag cgc gct gcc atg gcc 192 Leu Arg Asn Phe Leu Ala Ala Pro Pro Pro Gln Arg Ala Ala Met Ala 50 55 60 gcg caa ttg caa gct gtg ccg ggg gcg gca cag tac atc ggc ctt gtc 240 Ala Gln Leu Gln Ala Val Pro Gly Ala Ala Gln Tyr Ile Gly Leu Val 65 70 75 80 gag tcg gtt gcc ggc tcc tgc aac aac tat gag ctc atg acg att aat 288 Glu Ser Val Ala Gly Ser Cys Asn Asn Tyr Glu Leu Met Thr Ile Asn 85 90 95 tac cag ttc ggg gac gtc gac gct cat ggc gcc atg atc cgc gct cag 336 Tyr Gln Phe Gly Asp Val Asp Ala His Gly Ala Met Ile Arg Ala Gln 100 105 110 gcg gcg tcg ctt gag gcg gag cat cag gcc atc gtt cgt gat gtg ttg 384 Ala Ala Ser Leu Glu Ala Glu His Gln Ala Ile Val Arg Asp Val Leu 115 120 125 gcc gcg ggt gac ttt tgg ggc ggc gcc ggt tcg gtg gct tgc cag gag 432 Ala Ala Gly Asp Phe Trp Gly Gly Ala Gly Ser Val Ala Cys Gln Glu 130 135 140 ttc att acc cag ttg ggc cgt aac ttc cag gtg atc tac gag cag gcc 480 Phe Ile Thr Gln Leu Gly Arg Asn Phe Gln Val Ile Tyr Glu Gln Ala 145 150 155 160 aac gcc cac ggg cag aag gtg cag gct gcc ggc aac aac atg gcg caa 528 Asn Ala His Gly Gln Lys Val Gln Ala Ala Gly Asn Asn Met Ala Gln 165 170 175 acc gac agc gcc gtc ggc tcc agc tgg gcc act agt atg agc ctt ttg 576 Thr Asp Ser Ala Val Gly Ser Ser Trp Ala Thr Ser Met Ser Leu Leu 180 185 190 gat gct cat atc cca cag ttg gtg gcc tcc cag tcg gcg ttt gcc gcc 624 Asp Ala His Ile Pro Gln Leu Val Ala Ser Gln Ser Ala Phe Ala Ala 195 200 205 aag gcg ggg ctg atg cgg cac acg atc ggt cag gcc gag cag gcg gcg 672 Lys Ala Gly Leu Met Arg His Thr Ile Gly Gln Ala Glu Gln Ala Ala 210 215 220 atg tcg gct cag gcg ttt cac cag ggg gag tcg tcg gcg gcg ttt cag 720 Met Ser Ala Gln Ala Phe His Gln Gly Glu Ser Ser Ala Ala Phe Gln 225 230 235 240 gcc gcc cat gcc cgg ttt gtg gcg gcg gcc gcc aaa gtc aac acc ttg 768 Ala Ala His Ala Arg Phe Val Ala Ala Ala Ala Lys Val Asn Thr Leu 245 250 255 ttg gat gtc gcg cag gcg aat ctg ggt gag gcc gcc ggt acc tat gtg 816 Leu Asp Val Ala Gln Ala Asn Leu Gly Glu Ala Ala Gly Thr Tyr Val 260 265 270 gcc gcc gat gct gcg gcc gcg tcg acc tat acc ggg ttc gat atc cat 864 Ala Ala Asp Ala Ala Ala Ala Ser Thr Tyr Thr Gly Phe Asp Ile His 275 280 285 cac act ggc ggc cgc tcg agc aga tcc ggc tgc taacaaagcc cgaaaggaag 917 His Thr Gly Gly Arg Ser Ser Arg Ser Gly Cys 290 295 ctga 921 19 299 PRT Artificial Sequence Description of Artificial Sequencetri-fusion 19 His Met His His His His His His Asp Pro Val Asp Ala Val Ile Asn 1 5 10 15 Thr Thr Cys Asn Tyr Gly Gln Val Val Ala Ala Leu Asn Ala Thr Asp 20 25 30 Pro Gly Ala Ala Ala Gln Phe Asn Ala Ser Pro Val Ala Gln Ser Tyr 35 40 45 Leu Arg Asn Phe Leu Ala Ala Pro Pro Pro Gln Arg Ala Ala Met Ala 50 55 60 Ala Gln Leu Gln Ala Val Pro Gly Ala Ala Gln Tyr Ile Gly Leu Val 65 70 75 80 Glu Ser Val Ala Gly Ser Cys Asn Asn Tyr Glu Leu Met Thr Ile Asn 85 90 95 Tyr Gln Phe Gly Asp Val Asp Ala His Gly Ala Met Ile Arg Ala Gln 100 105 110 Ala Ala Ser Leu Glu Ala Glu His Gln Ala Ile Val Arg Asp Val Leu 115 120 125 Ala Ala Gly Asp Phe Trp Gly Gly Ala Gly Ser Val Ala Cys Gln Glu 130 135 140 Phe Ile Thr Gln Leu Gly Arg Asn Phe Gln Val Ile Tyr Glu Gln Ala 145 150 155 160 Asn Ala His Gly Gln Lys Val Gln Ala Ala Gly Asn Asn Met Ala Gln 165 170 175 Thr Asp Ser Ala Val Gly Ser Ser Trp Ala Thr Ser Met Ser Leu Leu 180 185 190 Asp Ala His Ile Pro Gln Leu Val Ala Ser Gln Ser Ala Phe Ala Ala 195 200 205 Lys Ala Gly Leu Met Arg His Thr Ile Gly Gln Ala Glu Gln Ala Ala 210 215 220 Met Ser Ala Gln Ala Phe His Gln Gly Glu Ser Ser Ala Ala Phe Gln 225 230 235 240 Ala Ala His Ala Arg Phe Val Ala Ala Ala Ala Lys Val Asn Thr Leu 245 250 255 Leu Asp Val Ala Gln Ala Asn Leu Gly Glu Ala Ala Gly Thr Tyr Val 260 265 270 Ala Ala Asp Ala Ala Ala Ala Ser Thr Tyr Thr Gly Phe Asp Ile His 275 280 285 His Thr Gly Gly Arg Ser Ser Arg Ser Gly Cys 290 295 20 6 PRT Artificial Sequence Description of Artificial Sequencepeptide transcribed from positions 901-918 of SEQ ID NO18 20 Gln Ser Pro Lys Gly Ser 1 5 21 1801 DNA Artificial Sequence Description of Artificial Sequencetri-fusion protein TbH9-DPV-MTI (designated Mtb61f) 21 cat atg cat cac cat cac cat cac atg gtg gat ttc ggg gcg tta cca 48 His Met His His His His His His Met Val Asp Phe Gly Ala Leu Pro 1 5 10 15 ccg gag atc aac tcc gcg agg atg tac gcc ggc ccg ggt tcg gcc tcg 96 Pro Glu Ile Asn Ser Ala Arg Met Tyr Ala Gly Pro Gly Ser Ala Ser 20 25 30 ctg gtg gcc gcg gct cag atg tgg gac agc gtg gcg agt gac ctg ttt 144 Leu Val Ala Ala Ala Gln Met Trp Asp Ser Val Ala Ser Asp Leu Phe 35 40 45 tcg gcc gcg tcg gcg ttt cag tcg gtg gtc tgg ggt ctg acg gtg ggg 192 Ser Ala Ala Ser Ala Phe Gln Ser Val Val Trp Gly Leu Thr Val Gly 50 55 60 tcg tgg ata ggt tcg tcg gcg ggt ctg atg gtg gcg gcg gcc tcg ccg 240 Ser Trp Ile Gly Ser Ser Ala Gly Leu Met Val Ala Ala Ala Ser Pro 65 70 75 80 tat gtg gcg tgg atg agc gtc acc gcg ggg cag gcc gag ctg acc gcc 288 Tyr Val Ala Trp Met Ser Val Thr Ala Gly Gln Ala Glu Leu Thr Ala 85 90 95 gcc cag gtc cgg gtt gct gcg gcg gcc tac gag acg gcg tat ggg ctg 336 Ala Gln Val Arg Val Ala Ala Ala Ala Tyr Glu Thr Ala Tyr Gly Leu 100 105 110 acg gtg ccc ccg ccg gtg atc gcc gag aac cgt gct gaa ctg atg att 384 Thr Val Pro Pro Pro Val Ile Ala Glu Asn Arg Ala Glu Leu Met Ile 115 120 125 ctg ata gcg acc aac ctc ttg ggg caa aac acc ccg gcg atc gcg gtc 432 Leu Ile Ala Thr Asn Leu Leu Gly Gln Asn Thr Pro Ala Ile Ala Val 130 135 140 aac gag gcc gaa tac ggc gag atg tgg gcc caa gac gcc gcc gcg atg 480 Asn Glu Ala Glu Tyr Gly Glu Met Trp Ala Gln Asp Ala Ala Ala Met 145 150 155 160 ttt ggc tac gcc gcg gcg acg gcg acg gcg acg gcg acg ttg ctg ccg 528 Phe Gly Tyr Ala Ala Ala Thr Ala Thr Ala Thr Ala Thr Leu Leu Pro 165 170 175 ttc gag gag gcg ccg gag atg acc agc gcg ggt ggg ctc ctc gag cag 576 Phe Glu Glu Ala Pro Glu Met Thr Ser Ala Gly Gly Leu Leu Glu Gln 180 185 190 gcc gcc gcg gtc gag gag gcc tcc gac acc gcc gcg gcg aac cag ttg 624 Ala Ala Ala Val Glu Glu Ala Ser Asp Thr Ala Ala Ala Asn Gln Leu 195 200 205 atg aac aat gtg ccc cag gcg ctg caa cag ctg gcc cag ccc acg cag 672 Met Asn Asn Val Pro Gln Ala Leu Gln Gln Leu Ala Gln Pro Thr Gln 210 215 220 ggc acc acg cct tct tcc aag ctg ggt ggc ctg tgg aag acg gtc tcg 720 Gly Thr Thr Pro Ser Ser Lys Leu Gly Gly Leu Trp Lys Thr Val Ser 225 230 235 240 ccg cat cgg tcg ccg atc agc aac atg gtg tcg atg gcc aac aac cac 768 Pro His Arg Ser Pro Ile Ser Asn Met Val Ser Met Ala Asn Asn His 245 250 255 atg tcg atg acc aac tcg ggt gtg tcg atg acc aac acc ttg agc tcg 816 Met Ser Met Thr Asn Ser Gly Val Ser Met Thr Asn Thr Leu Ser Ser 260 265 270 atg ttg aag ggc ttt gct ccg gcg gcg gcc gcc cag gcc gtg caa acc 864 Met Leu Lys Gly Phe Ala Pro Ala Ala Ala Ala Gln Ala Val Gln Thr 275 280 285 gcg gcg caa aac ggg gtc cgg gcg atg agc tcg ctg ggc agc tcg ctg 912 Ala Ala Gln Asn Gly Val Arg Ala Met Ser Ser Leu Gly Ser Ser Leu 290 295 300 ggt tct tcg ggt ctg ggc ggt ggg gtg gcc gcc aac ttg ggt cgg gcg 960 Gly Ser Ser Gly Leu Gly Gly Gly Val Ala Ala Asn Leu Gly Arg Ala 305 310 315 320 gcc tcg gtc ggt tcg ttg tcg gtg ccg cag gcc tgg gcc gcg gcc aac 1008 Ala Ser Val Gly Ser Leu Ser Val Pro Gln Ala Trp Ala Ala Ala Asn 325 330 335 cag gca gtc acc ccg gcg gcg cgg gcg ctg ccg ctg acc agc ctg acc 1056 Gln Ala Val Thr Pro Ala Ala Arg Ala Leu Pro Leu Thr Ser Leu Thr 340 345 350 agc gcc gcg gaa aga ggg ccc ggg cag atg ctg ggc ggg ctg ccg gtg 1104 Ser Ala Ala Glu Arg Gly Pro Gly Gln Met Leu Gly Gly Leu Pro Val 355 360 365 ggg cag atg ggc gcc agg gcc ggt ggt ggg ctc agt ggt gtg ctg cgt 1152 Gly Gln Met Gly Ala Arg Ala Gly Gly Gly Leu Ser Gly Val Leu Arg 370 375 380 gtt ccg ccg cga ccc tat gtg atg ccg cat tct ccg gca gcc ggc aag 1200 Val Pro Pro Arg Pro Tyr Val Met Pro His Ser Pro Ala Ala Gly Lys 385 390 395 400 ctt gat ccc gtg gac gcg gtc att aac acc acc tgc aat tac ggg cag 1248 Leu Asp Pro Val Asp Ala Val Ile Asn Thr Thr Cys Asn Tyr Gly Gln 405 410 415 gta gta gct gcg ctc aac gcg acg gat ccg ggg gct gcc gca cag ttc 1296 Val Val Ala Ala Leu Asn Ala Thr Asp Pro Gly Ala Ala Ala Gln Phe 420 425 430 aac gcc tca ccg gtg gcg cag tcc tat ttg cgc aat ttc ctc gcc gca 1344 Asn Ala Ser Pro Val Ala Gln Ser Tyr Leu Arg Asn Phe Leu Ala Ala 435 440 445 ccg cca cct cag cgc gct gcc atg gcc gcg caa ttg caa gct gtg ccg 1392 Pro Pro Pro Gln Arg Ala Ala Met Ala Ala Gln Leu Gln Ala Val Pro 450 455 460 ggg gcg gca cag tac atc ggc ctt gtc gag tcg gtt gcc ggc tcc tgc 1440 Gly Ala Ala Gln Tyr Ile Gly Leu Val Glu Ser Val Ala Gly Ser Cys 465 470 475 480 aac aac tat gag ctc atg acg att aat tac cag ttc ggg gac gtc gac 1488 Asn Asn Tyr Glu Leu Met Thr Ile Asn Tyr Gln Phe Gly Asp Val Asp 485 490 495 gct cat ggc gcc atg atc cgc gct cag gcg gcg tcg ctt gag gcg gag 1536 Ala His Gly Ala Met Ile Arg Ala Gln Ala Ala Ser Leu Glu Ala Glu 500 505 510 cat cag gcc atc gtt cgt gat gtg ttg gcc gcg ggt gac ttt tgg ggc 1584 His Gln Ala Ile Val Arg Asp Val Leu Ala Ala Gly Asp Phe Trp Gly 515 520 525 ggc gcc ggt tcg gtg gct tgc cag gag ttc att acc cag ttg ggc cgt 1632 Gly Ala Gly Ser Val Ala Cys Gln Glu Phe Ile Thr Gln Leu Gly Arg 530 535 540 aac ttc cag gtg atc tac gag cag gcc aac gcc cac ggg cag aag gtg 1680 Asn Phe Gln Val Ile Tyr Glu Gln Ala Asn Ala His Gly Gln Lys Val 545 550 555 560 cag gct gcc ggc aac aac atg gcg caa acc gac agc gcc gtc ggc tcc 1728 Gln Ala Ala Gly Asn Asn Met Ala Gln Thr Asp Ser Ala Val Gly Ser 565 570 575 agc tgg gcc act agt aac ggc cgc cag tgt gct gga att ctg cag ata 1776 Ser Trp Ala Thr Ser Asn Gly Arg Gln Cys Ala Gly Ile Leu Gln Ile 580 585 590 tcc atc aca ctg gcg gcc gct cga g 1801 Ser Ile Thr Leu Ala Ala Ala Arg 595 600 22 600 PRT Artificial Sequence Description of Artificial Sequencetri-fusion 22 His Met His His His His His His Met Val Asp Phe Gly Ala Leu Pro 1 5 10 15 Pro Glu Ile Asn Ser Ala Arg Met Tyr Ala Gly Pro Gly Ser Ala Ser 20 25 30 Leu Val Ala Ala Ala Gln Met Trp Asp Ser Val Ala Ser Asp Leu Phe 35 40 45 Ser Ala Ala Ser Ala Phe Gln Ser Val Val Trp Gly Leu Thr Val Gly 50 55 60 Ser Trp Ile Gly Ser Ser Ala Gly Leu Met Val Ala Ala Ala Ser Pro 65 70 75 80 Tyr Val Ala Trp Met Ser Val Thr Ala Gly Gln Ala Glu Leu Thr Ala 85 90 95 Ala Gln Val Arg Val Ala Ala Ala Ala Tyr Glu Thr Ala Tyr Gly Leu 100 105 110 Thr Val Pro Pro Pro Val Ile Ala Glu Asn Arg Ala Glu Leu Met Ile 115 120 125 Leu Ile Ala Thr Asn Leu Leu Gly Gln Asn Thr Pro Ala Ile Ala Val 130 135 140 Asn Glu Ala Glu Tyr Gly Glu Met Trp Ala Gln Asp Ala Ala Ala Met 145 150 155 160 Phe Gly Tyr Ala Ala Ala Thr Ala Thr Ala Thr Ala Thr Leu Leu Pro 165 170 175 Phe Glu Glu Ala Pro Glu Met Thr Ser Ala Gly Gly Leu Leu Glu Gln 180 185 190 Ala Ala Ala Val Glu Glu Ala Ser Asp Thr Ala Ala Ala Asn Gln Leu 195 200 205 Met Asn Asn Val Pro Gln Ala Leu Gln Gln Leu Ala Gln Pro Thr Gln 210 215 220 Gly Thr Thr Pro Ser Ser Lys Leu Gly Gly Leu Trp Lys Thr Val Ser 225 230 235 240 Pro His Arg Ser Pro Ile Ser Asn Met Val Ser Met Ala Asn Asn His 245 250 255 Met Ser Met Thr Asn Ser Gly Val Ser Met Thr Asn Thr Leu Ser Ser 260 265 270 Met Leu Lys Gly Phe Ala Pro Ala Ala Ala Ala Gln Ala Val Gln Thr 275 280 285 Ala Ala Gln Asn Gly Val Arg Ala Met Ser Ser Leu Gly Ser Ser Leu 290 295 300 Gly Ser Ser Gly Leu Gly Gly Gly Val Ala Ala Asn Leu Gly Arg Ala 305 310 315 320 Ala Ser Val Gly Ser Leu Ser Val Pro Gln Ala Trp Ala Ala Ala Asn 325 330 335 Gln Ala Val Thr Pro Ala Ala Arg Ala Leu Pro Leu Thr Ser Leu Thr 340 345 350 Ser Ala Ala Glu Arg Gly Pro Gly Gln Met Leu Gly Gly Leu Pro Val 355 360 365 Gly Gln Met Gly Ala Arg Ala Gly Gly Gly Leu Ser Gly Val Leu Arg 370 375 380 Val Pro Pro Arg Pro Tyr Val Met Pro His Ser Pro Ala Ala Gly Lys 385 390 395 400 Leu Asp Pro Val Asp Ala Val Ile Asn Thr Thr Cys Asn Tyr Gly Gln 405 410 415 Val Val Ala Ala Leu Asn Ala Thr Asp Pro Gly Ala Ala Ala Gln Phe 420 425 430 Asn Ala Ser Pro Val Ala Gln Ser Tyr Leu Arg Asn Phe Leu Ala Ala 435 440 445 Pro Pro Pro Gln Arg Ala Ala Met Ala Ala Gln Leu Gln Ala Val Pro 450 455 460 Gly Ala Ala Gln Tyr Ile Gly Leu Val Glu Ser Val Ala Gly Ser Cys 465 470 475 480 Asn Asn Tyr Glu Leu Met Thr Ile Asn Tyr Gln Phe Gly Asp Val Asp 485 490 495 Ala His Gly Ala Met Ile Arg Ala Gln Ala Ala Ser Leu Glu Ala Glu 500 505 510 His Gln Ala Ile Val Arg Asp Val Leu Ala Ala Gly Asp Phe Trp Gly 515 520 525 Gly Ala Gly Ser Val Ala Cys Gln Glu Phe Ile Thr Gln Leu Gly Arg 530 535 540 Asn Phe Gln Val Ile Tyr Glu Gln Ala Asn Ala His Gly Gln Lys Val 545 550 555 560 Gln Ala Ala Gly Asn Asn Met Ala Gln Thr Asp Ser Ala Val Gly Ser 565 570 575 Ser Trp Ala Thr Ser Asn Gly Arg Gln Cys Ala Gly Ile Leu Gln Ile 580 585 590 Ser Ile Thr Leu Ala Ala Ala Arg 595 600 23 1104 DNA Artificial Sequence Description of Artificial Sequencetri-fusion Erd14-DPV-MTI (designated Mtb36f) 23 cat atg cat cac cat cac cat cac atg gcc acc acc ctt ccc gtt cag 48 His Met His His His His His His Met Ala Thr Thr Leu Pro Val Gln 1 5 10 15 cgc cac ccg cgg tcc ctc ttc ccc gag ttt tct gag ctg ttc gcg gcc 96 Arg His Pro Arg Ser Leu Phe Pro Glu Phe Ser Glu Leu Phe Ala Ala 20 25 30 ttc ccg tca ttc gcc gga ctc cgg ccc acc ttc gac acc cgg ttg atg 144 Phe Pro Ser Phe Ala Gly Leu Arg Pro Thr Phe Asp Thr Arg Leu Met 35 40 45 cgg ctg gaa gac gag atg aaa gag ggg cgc tac gag gta cgc gcg gag 192 Arg Leu Glu Asp Glu Met Lys Glu Gly Arg Tyr Glu Val Arg Ala Glu 50 55 60 ctt ccc ggg gtc gac ccc gac aag gac gtc gac att atg gtc cgc gat 240 Leu Pro Gly Val Asp Pro Asp Lys Asp Val Asp Ile Met Val Arg Asp 65 70 75 80 ggt cag ctg acc atc aag gcc gag cgc acc gag cag aag gac ttc gac 288 Gly Gln Leu Thr Ile Lys Ala Glu Arg Thr Glu Gln Lys Asp Phe Asp 85 90 95 ggt cgc tcg gaa ttc gcg tac ggt tcc ttc gtt cgc acg gtg tcg ctg 336 Gly Arg Ser Glu Phe Ala Tyr Gly Ser Phe Val Arg Thr Val Ser Leu 100 105 110 ccg gta ggt gct gac gag gac gac att aag gcc acc tac gac aag ggc 384 Pro Val Gly Ala Asp Glu Asp Asp Ile Lys Ala Thr Tyr Asp Lys Gly 115 120 125 att ctt act gtg tcg gtg gcg gtt tcg gaa ggg aag cca acc gaa aag 432 Ile Leu Thr Val Ser Val Ala Val Ser Glu Gly Lys Pro Thr Glu Lys 130 135 140 cac att cag atc cgg tcc acc aac aag ctt gat ccc gtg gac gcg gtc 480 His Ile Gln Ile Arg Ser Thr Asn Lys Leu Asp Pro Val Asp Ala Val 145 150 155 160 att aac acc acc tgc aat tac ggg cag gta gta gct gcg ctc aac gcg 528 Ile Asn Thr Thr Cys Asn Tyr Gly Gln Val Val Ala Ala Leu Asn Ala 165 170 175 acg gat ccg ggg gct gcc gca cag ttc aac gcc tca ccg gtg gcg cag 576 Thr Asp Pro Gly Ala Ala Ala Gln Phe Asn Ala Ser Pro Val Ala Gln 180 185 190 tcc tat ttg cgc aat ttc ctc gcc gca ccg cca cct cag cgc gct gcc 624 Ser Tyr Leu Arg Asn Phe Leu Ala Ala Pro Pro Pro Gln Arg Ala Ala 195 200 205 atg gcc gcg caa ttg caa gct gtg ccg ggg gcg gca cag tac atc ggc 672 Met Ala Ala Gln Leu Gln Ala Val Pro Gly Ala Ala Gln Tyr Ile Gly 210 215 220 ctt gtc gag tcg gtt gcc ggc tcc tgc aac aac tat gag ctc atg acg 720 Leu Val Glu Ser Val Ala Gly Ser Cys Asn Asn Tyr Glu Leu Met Thr 225 230 235 240 att aat tac cag ttc ggg gac gtc gac gct cat ggc gcc atg atc cgc 768 Ile Asn Tyr Gln Phe Gly Asp Val Asp Ala His Gly Ala Met Ile Arg 245 250 255 gct cag gcg gcg tcg ctt gag gcg gag cat cag gcc atc gtt cgt gat 816 Ala Gln Ala Ala Ser Leu Glu Ala Glu His Gln Ala Ile Val Arg Asp 260 265 270 gtg ttg gcc gcg ggt gac ttt tgg ggc ggc gcc ggt tcg gtg gct tgc 864 Val Leu Ala Ala Gly Asp Phe Trp Gly Gly Ala Gly Ser Val Ala Cys 275 280 285 cag gag ttc att acc cag ttg ggc cgt aac ttc cag gtg atc tac gag 912 Gln Glu Phe Ile Thr Gln Leu Gly Arg Asn Phe Gln Val Ile Tyr Glu 290 295 300 cag gcc aac gcc cac ggg cag aag gtg cag gct gcc ggc aac aac atg 960 Gln Ala Asn Ala His Gly Gln Lys Val Gln Ala Ala Gly Asn Asn Met 305 310 315 320 gcg caa acc gac agc gcc gtc ggc tcc agc tgg gcc act agt aac ggc 1008 Ala Gln Thr Asp Ser Ala Val Gly Ser Ser Trp Ala Thr Ser Asn Gly 325 330 335 cgc cag tgt gct gga att ctg cag ata tcc atc aca ctg gcg gcc gct 1056 Arg Gln Cys Ala Gly Ile Leu Gln Ile Ser Ile Thr Leu Ala Ala Ala 340 345 350 cga gca gat ccg gct gct aac aaa gcc cga aag gaa gct gag ttg gct 1104 Arg Ala Asp Pro Ala Ala Asn Lys Ala Arg Lys Glu Ala Glu Leu Ala 355 360 365 24 368 PRT Artificial Sequence Description of Artificial Sequencetri-fusion 24 His Met His His His His His His Met Ala Thr Thr Leu Pro Val Gln 1 5 10 15 Arg His Pro Arg Ser Leu Phe Pro Glu Phe Ser Glu Leu Phe Ala Ala 20 25 30 Phe Pro Ser Phe Ala Gly Leu Arg Pro Thr Phe Asp Thr Arg Leu Met 35 40 45 Arg Leu Glu Asp Glu Met Lys Glu Gly Arg Tyr Glu Val Arg Ala Glu 50 55 60 Leu Pro Gly Val Asp Pro Asp Lys Asp Val Asp Ile Met Val Arg Asp 65 70 75 80 Gly Gln Leu Thr Ile Lys Ala Glu Arg Thr Glu Gln Lys Asp Phe Asp 85 90 95 Gly Arg Ser Glu Phe Ala Tyr Gly Ser Phe Val Arg Thr Val Ser Leu 100 105 110 Pro Val Gly Ala Asp Glu Asp Asp Ile Lys Ala Thr Tyr Asp Lys Gly 115 120 125 Ile Leu Thr Val Ser Val Ala Val Ser Glu Gly Lys Pro Thr Glu Lys 130 135 140 His Ile Gln Ile Arg Ser Thr Asn Lys Leu Asp Pro Val Asp Ala Val 145 150 155 160 Ile Asn Thr Thr Cys Asn Tyr Gly Gln Val Val Ala Ala Leu Asn Ala 165 170 175 Thr Asp Pro Gly Ala Ala Ala Gln Phe Asn Ala Ser Pro Val Ala Gln 180 185 190 Ser Tyr Leu Arg Asn Phe Leu Ala Ala Pro Pro Pro Gln Arg Ala Ala 195 200 205 Met Ala Ala Gln Leu Gln Ala Val Pro Gly Ala Ala Gln Tyr Ile Gly 210 215 220 Leu Val Glu Ser Val Ala Gly Ser Cys Asn Asn Tyr Glu Leu Met Thr 225 230 235 240 Ile Asn Tyr Gln Phe Gly Asp Val Asp Ala His Gly Ala Met Ile Arg 245 250 255 Ala Gln Ala Ala Ser Leu Glu Ala Glu His Gln Ala Ile Val Arg Asp 260 265 270 Val Leu Ala Ala Gly Asp Phe Trp Gly Gly Ala Gly Ser Val Ala Cys 275 280 285 Gln Glu Phe Ile Thr Gln Leu Gly Arg Asn Phe Gln Val Ile Tyr Glu 290 295 300 Gln Ala Asn Ala His Gly Gln Lys Val Gln Ala Ala Gly Asn Asn Met 305 310 315 320 Ala Gln Thr Asp Ser Ala Val Gly Ser Ser Trp Ala Thr Ser Asn Gly 325 330 335 Arg Gln Cys Ala Gly Ile Leu Gln Ile Ser Ile Thr Leu Ala Ala Ala 340 345 350 Arg Ala Asp Pro Ala Ala Asn Lys Ala Arg Lys Glu Ala Glu Leu Ala 355 360 365 25 1797 DNA Artificial Sequence Description of Artificial Sequencebi-fusion protein TbH9-Ra35 (designated Mtb59f) 25 cat atg cat cac cat cac cat cac atg gtg gat ttc ggg gcg tta cca 48 His Met His His His His His His Met Val Asp Phe Gly Ala Leu Pro 1 5 10 15 ccg gag atc aac tcc gcg agg atg tac gcc ggc ccg ggt tcg gcc tcg 96 Pro Glu Ile Asn Ser Ala Arg Met Tyr Ala Gly Pro Gly Ser Ala Ser 20 25 30 ctg gtg gcc gcg gct cag atg tgg gac agc gtg gcg agt gac ctg ttt 144 Leu Val Ala Ala Ala Gln Met Trp Asp Ser Val Ala Ser Asp Leu Phe 35 40 45 tcg gcc gcg tcg gcg ttt cag tcg gtg gtc tgg ggt ctg acg gtg ggg 192 Ser Ala Ala Ser Ala Phe Gln Ser Val Val Trp Gly Leu Thr Val Gly 50 55 60 tcg tgg ata ggt tcg tcg gcg ggt ctg atg gtg gcg gcg gcc tcg ccg 240 Ser Trp Ile Gly Ser Ser Ala Gly Leu Met Val Ala Ala Ala Ser Pro 65 70 75 80 tat gtg gcg tgg atg agc gtc acc gcg ggg cag gcc gag ctg acc gcc 288 Tyr Val Ala Trp Met Ser Val Thr Ala Gly Gln Ala Glu Leu Thr Ala 85 90 95 gcc cag gtc cgg gtt gct gcg gcg gcc tac gag acg gcg tat ggg ctg 336 Ala Gln Val Arg Val Ala Ala Ala Ala Tyr Glu Thr Ala Tyr Gly Leu 100 105 110 acg gtg ccc ccg ccg gtg atc gcc gag aac cgt gct gaa ctg atg att 384 Thr Val Pro Pro Pro Val Ile Ala Glu Asn Arg Ala Glu Leu Met Ile 115 120 125 ctg ata gcg acc aac ctc ttg ggg caa aac acc ccg gcg atc gcg gtc 432 Leu Ile Ala Thr Asn Leu Leu Gly Gln Asn Thr Pro Ala Ile Ala Val 130 135 140 aac gag gcc gaa tac ggc gag atg tgg gcc caa gac gcc gcc gcg atg 480 Asn Glu Ala Glu Tyr Gly Glu Met Trp Ala Gln Asp Ala Ala Ala Met 145 150 155 160 ttt ggc tac gcc gcg gcg acg gcg acg gcg acg gcg acg ttg ctg ccg 528 Phe Gly Tyr Ala Ala Ala Thr Ala Thr Ala Thr Ala Thr Leu Leu Pro 165 170 175 ttc gag gag gcg ccg gag atg acc agc gcg ggt ggg ctc ctc gag cag 576 Phe Glu Glu Ala Pro Glu Met Thr Ser Ala Gly Gly Leu Leu Glu Gln 180 185 190 gcc gcc gcg gtc gag gag gcc tcc gac acc gcc gcg gcg aac cag ttg 624 Ala Ala Ala Val Glu Glu Ala Ser Asp Thr Ala Ala Ala Asn Gln Leu 195 200 205 atg aac aat gtg ccc cag gcg ctg caa cag ctg gcc cag ccc acg cag 672 Met Asn Asn Val Pro Gln Ala Leu Gln Gln Leu Ala Gln Pro Thr Gln 210 215 220 ggc acc acg cct tct tcc aag ctg ggt ggc ctg tgg aag acg gtc tcg 720 Gly Thr Thr Pro Ser Ser Lys Leu Gly Gly Leu Trp Lys Thr Val Ser 225 230 235 240 ccg cat cgg tcg ccg atc agc aac atg gtg tcg atg gcc aac aac cac 768 Pro His Arg Ser Pro Ile Ser Asn Met Val Ser Met Ala Asn Asn His 245 250 255 atg tcg atg acc aac tcg ggt gtg tcg atg acc aac acc ttg agc tcg 816 Met Ser Met Thr Asn Ser Gly Val Ser Met Thr Asn Thr Leu Ser Ser 260 265 270 atg ttg aag ggc ttt gct ccg gcg gcg gcc gcc cag gcc gtg caa acc 864 Met Leu Lys Gly Phe Ala Pro Ala Ala Ala Ala Gln Ala Val Gln Thr 275 280 285 gcg gcg caa aac ggg gtc cgg gcg atg agc tcg ctg ggc agc tcg ctg 912 Ala Ala Gln Asn Gly Val Arg Ala Met Ser Ser Leu Gly Ser Ser Leu 290 295 300 ggt tct tcg ggt ctg ggc ggt ggg gtg gcc gcc aac ttg ggt cgg gcg 960 Gly Ser Ser Gly Leu Gly Gly Gly Val Ala Ala Asn Leu Gly Arg Ala 305 310 315 320 gcc tcg gtc ggt tcg ttg tcg gtg ccg cag gcc tgg gcc gcg gcc aac 1008 Ala Ser Val Gly Ser Leu Ser Val Pro Gln Ala Trp Ala Ala Ala Asn 325 330 335 cag gca gtc acc ccg gcg gcg cgg gcg ctg ccg ctg acc agc ctg acc 1056 Gln Ala Val Thr Pro Ala Ala Arg Ala Leu Pro Leu Thr Ser Leu Thr 340 345 350 agc gcc gcg gaa aga ggg ccc ggg cag atg ctg ggc ggg ctg ccg gtg 1104 Ser Ala Ala Glu Arg Gly Pro Gly Gln Met Leu Gly Gly Leu Pro Val 355 360 365 ggg cag atg ggc gcc agg gcc ggt ggt ggg ctc agt ggt gtg ctg cgt 1152 Gly Gln Met Gly Ala Arg Ala Gly Gly Gly Leu Ser Gly Val Leu Arg 370 375 380 gtt ccg ccg cga ccc tat gtg atg ccg cat tct ccg gca gcc ggc gat 1200 Val Pro Pro Arg Pro Tyr Val Met Pro His Ser Pro Ala Ala Gly Asp 385 390 395 400 atc gcc ccg ccg gcc ttg tcg cag gac cgg ttc gcc gac ttc ccc gcg 1248 Ile Ala Pro Pro Ala Leu Ser Gln Asp Arg Phe Ala Asp Phe Pro Ala 405 410 415 ctg ccc ctc gac ccg tcc gcg atg gtc gcc caa gtg ggg cca cag gtg 1296 Leu Pro Leu Asp Pro Ser Ala Met Val Ala Gln Val Gly Pro Gln Val 420 425 430 gtc aac atc aac acc aaa ctg ggc tac aac aac gcc gtg ggc gcc ggg 1344 Val Asn Ile Asn Thr Lys Leu Gly Tyr Asn Asn Ala Val Gly Ala Gly 435 440 445 acc ggc atc gtc atc gat ccc aac ggt gtc gtg ctg acc aac aac cac 1392 Thr Gly Ile Val Ile Asp Pro Asn Gly Val Val Leu Thr Asn Asn His 450 455 460 gtg atc gcg ggc gcc acc gac atc aat gcg ttc agc gtc ggc tcc ggc 1440 Val Ile Ala Gly Ala Thr Asp Ile Asn Ala Phe Ser Val Gly Ser Gly 465 470 475 480 caa acc tac ggc gtc gat gtg gtc ggg tat gac cgc acc cag gat gtc 1488 Gln Thr Tyr Gly Val Asp Val Val Gly Tyr Asp Arg Thr Gln Asp Val 485 490 495 gcg gtg ctg cag ctg cgc ggt gcc ggt ggc ctg ccg tcg gcg gcg atc 1536 Ala Val Leu Gln Leu Arg Gly Ala Gly Gly Leu Pro Ser Ala Ala Ile 500 505 510 ggt ggc ggc gtc gcg gtt ggt gag ccc gtc gtc gcg atg ggc aac agc 1584 Gly Gly Gly Val Ala Val Gly Glu Pro Val Val Ala Met Gly Asn Ser 515 520 525 ggt ggg cag ggc gga acg ccc cgt gcg gtg cct ggc agg gtg gtc gcg 1632 Gly Gly Gln Gly Gly Thr Pro Arg Ala Val Pro Gly Arg Val Val Ala 530 535 540 ctc ggc caa acc gtg cag gcg tcg gat tcg ctg acc ggt gcc gaa gag 1680 Leu Gly Gln Thr Val Gln Ala Ser Asp Ser Leu Thr Gly Ala Glu Glu 545 550 555 560 aca ttg aac ggg ttg atc cag ttc gat gcc gcg atc cag ccc ggt gat 1728 Thr Leu Asn Gly Leu Ile Gln Phe Asp Ala Ala Ile Gln Pro Gly Asp 565 570 575 tcg ggc ggg ccc gtc gtc aac ggc cta gga cag gtg gtc ggt atg aac 1776 Ser Gly Gly Pro Val Val Asn Gly Leu Gly Gln Val Val Gly Met Asn 580 585 590 acg gcc gcg tcc taggatatc 1797 Thr Ala Ala Ser 595 26 596 PRT Artificial Sequence Description of Artificial Sequencebi-fusion 26 His Met His His His His His His Met Val Asp Phe Gly Ala Leu Pro 1 5 10 15 Pro Glu Ile Asn Ser Ala Arg Met Tyr Ala Gly Pro Gly Ser Ala Ser 20 25 30 Leu Val Ala Ala Ala Gln Met Trp Asp Ser Val Ala Ser Asp Leu Phe 35 40 45 Ser Ala Ala Ser Ala Phe Gln Ser Val Val Trp Gly Leu Thr Val Gly 50 55 60 Ser Trp Ile Gly Ser Ser Ala Gly Leu Met Val Ala Ala Ala Ser Pro 65 70 75 80 Tyr Val Ala Trp Met Ser Val Thr Ala Gly Gln Ala Glu Leu Thr Ala 85 90 95 Ala Gln Val Arg Val Ala Ala Ala Ala Tyr Glu Thr Ala Tyr Gly Leu 100 105 110 Thr Val Pro Pro Pro Val Ile Ala Glu Asn Arg Ala Glu Leu Met Ile 115 120 125 Leu Ile Ala Thr Asn Leu Leu Gly Gln Asn Thr Pro Ala Ile Ala Val 130 135 140 Asn Glu Ala Glu Tyr Gly Glu Met Trp Ala Gln Asp Ala Ala Ala Met 145 150 155 160 Phe Gly Tyr Ala Ala Ala Thr Ala Thr Ala Thr Ala Thr Leu Leu Pro 165 170 175 Phe Glu Glu Ala Pro Glu Met Thr Ser Ala Gly Gly Leu Leu Glu Gln 180 185 190 Ala Ala Ala Val Glu Glu Ala Ser Asp Thr Ala Ala Ala Asn Gln Leu 195 200 205 Met Asn Asn Val Pro Gln Ala Leu Gln Gln Leu Ala Gln Pro Thr Gln 210 215 220 Gly Thr Thr Pro Ser Ser Lys Leu Gly Gly Leu Trp Lys Thr Val Ser 225 230 235 240 Pro His Arg Ser Pro Ile Ser Asn Met Val Ser Met Ala Asn Asn His 245 250 255 Met Ser Met Thr Asn Ser Gly Val Ser Met Thr Asn Thr Leu Ser Ser 260 265 270 Met Leu Lys Gly Phe Ala Pro Ala Ala Ala Ala Gln Ala Val Gln Thr 275 280 285 Ala Ala Gln Asn Gly Val Arg Ala Met Ser Ser Leu Gly Ser Ser Leu 290 295 300 Gly Ser Ser Gly Leu Gly Gly Gly Val Ala Ala Asn Leu Gly Arg Ala 305 310 315 320 Ala Ser Val Gly Ser Leu Ser Val Pro Gln Ala Trp Ala Ala Ala Asn 325 330 335 Gln Ala Val Thr Pro Ala Ala Arg Ala Leu Pro Leu Thr Ser Leu Thr 340 345 350 Ser Ala Ala Glu Arg Gly Pro Gly Gln Met Leu Gly Gly Leu Pro Val 355 360 365 Gly Gln Met Gly Ala Arg Ala Gly Gly Gly Leu Ser Gly Val Leu Arg 370 375 380 Val Pro Pro Arg Pro Tyr Val Met Pro His Ser Pro Ala Ala Gly Asp 385 390 395 400 Ile Ala Pro Pro Ala Leu Ser Gln Asp Arg Phe Ala Asp Phe Pro Ala 405 410 415 Leu Pro Leu Asp Pro Ser Ala Met Val Ala Gln Val Gly Pro Gln Val 420 425 430 Val Asn Ile Asn Thr Lys Leu Gly Tyr Asn Asn Ala Val Gly Ala Gly 435 440 445 Thr Gly Ile Val Ile Asp Pro Asn Gly Val Val Leu Thr Asn Asn His 450 455 460 Val Ile Ala Gly Ala Thr Asp Ile Asn Ala Phe Ser Val Gly Ser Gly 465 470 475 480 Gln Thr Tyr Gly Val Asp Val Val Gly Tyr Asp Arg Thr Gln Asp Val 485 490 495 Ala Val Leu Gln Leu Arg Gly Ala Gly Gly Leu Pro Ser Ala Ala Ile 500 505 510 Gly Gly Gly Val Ala Val Gly Glu Pro Val Val Ala Met Gly Asn Ser 515 520 525 Gly Gly Gln Gly Gly Thr Pro Arg Ala Val Pro Gly Arg Val Val Ala 530 535 540 Leu Gly Gln Thr Val Gln Ala Ser Asp Ser Leu Thr Gly Ala Glu Glu 545 550 555 560 Thr Leu Asn Gly Leu Ile Gln Phe Asp Ala Ala Ile Gln Pro Gly Asp 565 570 575 Ser Gly Gly Pro Val Val Asn Gly Leu Gly Gln Val Val Gly Met Asn 580 585 590 Thr Ala Ala Ser 595 27 702 DNA Artificial Sequence Description of Artificial Sequencebi-fusion protein Ra12-DPPD (designated Mtb24), reading frame 1 27 cat atg cat cac cat cac cat cac acg gcc gcg tcc gat aac ttc cag 48 His Met His His His His His His Thr Ala Ala Ser Asp Asn Phe Gln 1 5 10 15 ctg tcc cag ggt ggg cag gga ttc gcc att ccg atc ggg cag gcg atg 96 Leu Ser Gln Gly Gly Gln Gly Phe Ala Ile Pro Ile Gly Gln Ala Met 20 25 30 gcg atc gcg ggc cag atc cga tcg ggt ggg ggg tca ccc acc gtt cat 144 Ala Ile Ala Gly Gln Ile Arg Ser Gly Gly Gly Ser Pro Thr Val His 35 40 45 atc ggg cct acc gcc ttc ctc ggc ttg ggt gtt gtc gac aac aac ggc 192 Ile Gly Pro Thr Ala Phe Leu Gly Leu Gly Val Val Asp Asn Asn Gly 50 55 60 aac ggc gca cga gtc caa cgc gtg gtc ggg agc gct ccg gcg gca agt 240 Asn Gly Ala Arg Val Gln Arg Val Val Gly Ser Ala Pro Ala Ala Ser 65 70 75 80 ctc ggc atc tcc acc ggc gac gtg atc acc gcg gtc gac ggc gct ccg 288 Leu Gly Ile Ser Thr Gly Asp Val Ile Thr Ala Val Asp Gly Ala Pro 85 90 95 atc aac tcg gcc acc gcg atg gcg gac gcg ctt aac ggg cat cat ccc 336 Ile Asn Ser Ala Thr Ala Met Ala Asp Ala Leu Asn Gly His His Pro 100 105 110 ggt gac gtc atc tcg gtg acc tgg caa acc aag tcg ggc ggc acg cgt 384 Gly Asp Val Ile Ser Val Thr Trp Gln Thr Lys Ser Gly Gly Thr Arg 115 120 125 aca ggg aac gtg aca ttg gcc gag gga ccc ccg gcc gaa ttc gac gac 432 Thr Gly Asn Val Thr Leu Ala Glu Gly Pro Pro Ala Glu Phe Asp Asp 130 135 140 gac gac aag gat cca cct gac ccg cat cag ccg gac atg acg aaa ggc 480 Asp Asp Lys Asp Pro Pro Asp Pro His Gln Pro Asp Met Thr Lys Gly 145 150 155 160 tat tgc ccg ggt ggc cga tgg ggt ttt ggc gac ttg gcc gtg tgc gac 528 Tyr Cys Pro Gly Gly Arg Trp Gly Phe Gly Asp Leu Ala Val Cys Asp 165 170 175 ggc gag aag tac ccc gac ggc tcg ttt tgg cac cag tgg atg caa acg 576 Gly Glu Lys Tyr Pro Asp Gly Ser Phe Trp His Gln Trp Met Gln Thr 180 185 190 tgg ttt acc ggc cca cag ttt tac ttc gat tgt gtc agc ggc ggt gag 624 Trp Phe Thr Gly Pro Gln Phe Tyr Phe Asp Cys Val Ser Gly Gly Glu 195 200 205 ccc ctc ccc ggc ccg ccg cca ccg ggt ggt tgc ggt ggg gca att ccg 672 Pro Leu Pro Gly Pro Pro Pro Pro Gly Gly Cys Gly Gly Ala Ile Pro 210 215 220 tcc gag cag ccc aac gct ccc tgagaattc 702 Ser Glu Gln Pro Asn Ala Pro 225 230 28 231 PRT Artificial Sequence Description of Artificial Sequencebi-fusion 28 His Met His His His His His His Thr Ala Ala Ser Asp Asn Phe Gln 1 5 10 15 Leu Ser Gln Gly Gly Gln Gly Phe Ala Ile Pro Ile Gly Gln Ala Met 20 25 30 Ala Ile Ala Gly Gln Ile Arg Ser Gly Gly Gly Ser Pro Thr Val His 35 40 45 Ile Gly Pro Thr Ala Phe Leu Gly Leu Gly Val Val Asp Asn Asn Gly 50 55 60 Asn Gly Ala Arg Val Gln Arg Val Val Gly Ser Ala Pro Ala Ala Ser 65 70 75 80 Leu Gly Ile Ser Thr Gly Asp Val Ile Thr Ala Val Asp Gly Ala Pro 85 90 95 Ile Asn Ser Ala Thr Ala Met Ala Asp Ala Leu Asn Gly His His Pro 100 105 110 Gly Asp Val Ile Ser Val Thr Trp Gln Thr Lys Ser Gly Gly Thr Arg 115 120 125 Thr Gly Asn Val Thr Leu Ala Glu Gly Pro Pro Ala Glu Phe Asp Asp 130 135 140 Asp Asp Lys Asp Pro Pro Asp Pro His Gln Pro Asp Met Thr Lys Gly 145 150 155 160 Tyr Cys Pro Gly Gly Arg Trp Gly Phe Gly Asp Leu Ala Val Cys Asp 165 170 175 Gly Glu Lys Tyr Pro Asp Gly Ser Phe Trp His Gln Trp Met Gln Thr 180 185 190 Trp Phe Thr Gly Pro Gln Phe Tyr Phe Asp Cys Val Ser Gly Gly Glu 195 200 205 Pro Leu Pro Gly Pro Pro Pro Pro Gly Gly Cys Gly Gly Ala Ile Pro 210 215 220 Ser Glu Gln Pro Asn Ala Pro 225 230 29 87 PRT Artificial Sequence Description of Artificial Sequencepeptide of 29 Ile Cys Ile Thr Ile Thr Ile Thr Arg Pro Arg Pro Ile Thr Ser Ser 1 5 10 15 Cys Pro Arg Val Gly Arg Asp Ser Pro Phe Arg Ser Gly Arg Arg Trp 20 25 30 Arg Ser Arg Ala Arg Ser Asp Arg Val Gly Gly His Pro Pro Phe Ile 35 40 45 Ser Gly Leu Pro Pro Ser Ser Ala Trp Val Leu Ser Thr Thr Thr Ala 50 55 60 Thr Ala His Glu Ser Asn Ala Trp Ser Gly Ala Leu Arg Arg Gln Val 65 70 75 80 Ser Ala Ser Pro Pro Ala Thr 85 30 29 PRT Artificial Sequence Description of Artificial Sequencepeptide of 30 Ser Pro Arg Ser Thr Ala Leu Arg Ser Thr Arg Pro Pro Arg Trp Arg 1 5 10 15 Thr Arg Leu Thr Gly Ile Ile Pro Val Thr Ser Ser Arg 20 25 31 13 PRT Artificial Sequence Description of Artificial Sequencepeptide of 31 Pro Gly Lys Pro Ser Arg Ala Ala Arg Val Gln Gly Thr 1 5 10 32 24 PRT Artificial Sequence Description of Artificial Sequencepeptide of 32 His Trp Pro Arg Asp Pro Arg Pro Asn Ser Thr Thr Thr Thr Arg Ile 1 5 10 15 His Leu Thr Arg Ile Ser Arg Thr 20 33 77 PRT Artificial Sequence Description of Artificial Sequencepeptide of 33 Arg Lys Ala Ile Ala Arg Val Ala Asp Gly Val Leu Ala Thr Trp Pro 1 5 10 15 Cys Ala Thr Ala Arg Ser Thr Pro Thr Ala Arg Phe Gly Thr Ser Gly 20 25 30 Cys Lys Arg Gly Leu Pro Ala His Ser Phe Thr Ser Ile Val Ser Ala 35 40 45 Ala Val Ser Pro Ser Pro Ala Arg Arg His Arg Val Val Ala Val Gly 50 55 60 Gln Phe Arg Pro Ser Ser Pro Thr Leu Pro Glu Asn Ser 65 70 75 34 13 PRT Artificial Sequence Description of Artificial Sequencepeptide of 34 Pro Tyr Ala Ser Pro Ser Pro Ser His Gly Arg Val Arg 1 5 10 35 93 PRT Artificial Sequence Description of Artificial Sequencepeptide of 35 Leu Pro Ala Val Pro Gly Trp Ala Gly Ile Arg His Ser Asp Arg Ala 1 5 10 15 Gly Asp Gly Asp Arg Gly Pro Asp Pro Ile Gly Trp Gly Val Thr His 20 25 30 Arg Ser Tyr Arg Ala Tyr Arg Leu Pro Arg Leu Gly Cys Cys Arg Gln 35 40 45 Gln Arg Gln Arg Arg Thr Ser Pro Thr Arg Gly Arg Glu Arg Ser Gly 50 55 60 Gly Lys Ser Arg His Leu His Arg Arg Arg Asp His Arg Gly Arg Arg 65 70 75 80 Arg Ser Asp Gln Leu Gly His Arg Asp Gly Gly Arg Ala 85 90 36 5 PRT Artificial Sequence Description of Artificial Sequencepeptide of 36 Arg Ala Ser Ser Arg 1 5 37 36 PRT Artificial Sequence Description of Artificial Sequencepeptide of 37 Arg His Leu Gly Asp Leu Ala Asn Gln Val Gly Arg His Ala Tyr Arg 1 5 10 15 Glu Arg Asp Ile Gly Arg Gly Thr Pro Gly Arg Ile Arg Arg Arg Arg 20 25 30 Gln Gly Ser Thr 35 38 56 PRT Artificial Sequence Description of Artificial Sequencepeptide of 38 Pro Ala Ser Ala Gly His Asp Glu Arg Leu Leu Pro Gly Trp Pro Met 1 5 10 15 Gly Phe Trp Arg Leu Gly Arg Val Arg Arg Arg Glu Val Pro Arg Arg 20 25 30 Leu Val Leu Ala Pro Val Asp Ala Asn Val Val Tyr Arg Pro Thr Val 35 40 45 Leu Leu Arg Leu Cys Gln Arg Arg 50 55 39 26 PRT Artificial Sequence Description of Artificial Sequencepeptide of 39 Ala Pro Pro Arg Pro Ala Ala Thr Gly Trp Leu Arg Trp Gly Asn Ser 1 5 10 15 Val Arg Ala Ala Gln Arg Ser Leu Arg Ile 20 25 40 374 PRT Mycobacterium tuberculosis 38 kD antigen 40 Met Lys Ile Arg Leu His Thr Leu Leu Ala Val Leu Thr Ala Ala Pro 1 5 10 15 Leu Leu Leu Ala Ala Ala Gly Cys Gly Ser Lys Pro Pro Ser Gly Ser 20 25 30 Pro Glu Thr Gly Ala Gly Ala Gly Thr Val Ala Thr Thr Pro Ala Ser 35 40 45 Ser Pro Val Thr Leu Ala Glu Thr Gly Ser Thr Leu Leu Tyr Pro Leu 50 55 60 Phe Asn Leu Trp Gly Pro Ala Phe His Glu Arg Tyr Pro Asn Val Thr 65 70 75 80 Ile Thr Ala Gln Gly Thr Gly Ser Gly Ala Gly Ile Ala Gln Ala Ala 85 90 95 Ala Gly Thr Val Asn Ile Gly Ala Ser Asp Ala Tyr Leu Ser Glu Gly 100 105 110 Asp Met Ala Ala His Lys Gly Leu Met Asn Ile Ala Leu Ala Ile Ser 115 120 125 Ala Gln Gln Val Asn Tyr Asn Leu Pro Gly Val Ser Glu His Leu Lys 130 135 140 Leu Asn Gly Lys Val Leu Ala Ala Met Tyr Gln Gly Thr Ile Lys Thr 145 150 155 160 Trp Asp Asp Pro Gln Ile Ala Ala Leu Asn Pro Gly Val Asn Leu Pro 165 170 175 Gly Thr Ala Val Val Pro Leu His Arg Ser Asp Gly Ser Gly Asp Thr 180 185 190 Phe Leu Phe Thr Gln Tyr Leu Ser Lys Gln Asp Pro Glu Gly Trp Gly 195 200 205 Lys Ser Pro Gly Phe Gly Thr Thr Val Asp Phe Pro Ala Val Pro Gly 210 215 220 Ala Leu Gly Glu Asn Gly Asn Gly Gly Met Val Thr Gly Cys Ala Glu 225 230 235 240 Thr Pro Gly Cys Val Ala Tyr Ile Gly Ile Ser Phe Leu Asp Gln Ala 245 250 255 Ser Gln Arg Gly Leu Gly Glu Ala Gln Leu Gly Asn Ser Ser Gly Asn 260 265 270 Phe Leu Leu Pro Asp Ala Gln Ser Ile Gln Ala Ala Ala Ala Gly Phe 275 280 285 Ala Ser Lys Thr Pro Ala Asn Gln Ala Ile Ser Met Ile Asp Gly Pro 290 295 300 Ala Pro Asp Gly Tyr Pro Ile Ile Asn Tyr Glu Tyr Ala Ile Val Asn 305 310 315 320 Asn Arg Gln Lys Asp Ala Ala Thr Ala Gln Thr Leu Gln Ala Phe Leu 325 330 335 His Trp Ala Ile Thr Asp Gly Asn Lys Ala Ser Phe Leu Asp Gln Val 340 345 350 His Phe Gln Pro Leu Pro Pro Ala Val Val Lys Leu Ser Asp Ala Leu 355 360 365 Ile Ala Thr Ile Ser Ser 370 41 3 PRT Artificial Sequence Description of Artificial Sequenceflexible polylinker 41 Gly Cys Gly 1 42 6 PRT Artificial Sequence Description of Artificial Sequenceflexible polylinker 42 Gly Cys Gly Gly Cys Gly 1 5 43 9 PRT Artificial Sequence Description of Artificial Sequenceflexible polylinker 43 Gly Cys Gly Gly Cys Gly Gly Cys Gly 1 5 44 5 PRT Artificial Sequence Description of Artificial Sequenceflexible polylinker 44 Gly Gly Gly Gly Ser 1 5 45 10 PRT Artificial Sequence Description of Artificial Sequenceflexible polylinker 45 Gly Gly Gly Gly Ser Gly Gly Gly Gly Ser 1 5 10 46 15 PRT Artificial Sequence Description of Artificial Sequenceflexible polylinker 46 Gly Gly Gly Gly Ser Gly Gly Gly Gly Ser Gly Gly Gly Gly Ser 1 5 10 15 

What is claimed is:
 1. A purified polypeptide comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:26.
 2. The polypeptide of claim 1 which is a soluble polypeptide.
 3. The polypeptide of Claim 1 which is produced by a recombinant DNA method.
 4. The polypeptide of claim 1 which is produced by a chemical synthetic method.
 5. The polypeptide of claim 1 which is fused with a second heterologous polypeptide.
 6. A pharmaceutical composition comprising the polypeptide of claim
 1. 7. The composition of claim 6 further comprising an adjuvant.
 8. The composition of claim 6 wherein the composition is formulated in an oil emulsion.
 9. The composition of claim 6, wherein the adjuvant is selected from the group consisting of Freund's incomplete adjuvant, Freund's complete adjuvant, alum, monophosphoryl lipid A, quil A, SBAS1, SBAS2, SBAS7, Al(OH)₃, CpG oligonucleotide, 3D-MPL, and QS21. 